After Transmigration, I Snag a Stunning Bigwig as My Husband

Chapter 1178 - 10: Zhou Family Strife (Part 2)

Old Master Zhou was heartbroken.He had always been generous and kind to the clan; if anyone liked doing business, he would try his best to help. Yet all they ever had their eyes on was the Zhou Family fortune.

If they’d just settled down and done business properly, they would have long since had no worries about food and clothing.

The Zhou Family’s property was earned by Old Master Zhou himself; the Zhou clan had no right to point fingers.

As for his arrangements, whoever dared to object, he would definitely cut off the clan’s stipends.

Once this killing move was brought out, those clan elders all fell silent one by one, not daring to say another word.

The clan was easy to pacify, because they all depended on Old Master Zhou to live. But the concubines in the inner courtyard and the married-out daughters were not so easy to deal with.

The Zhou Family’s assets were enough to rival a nation’s treasury. Giving everything to one person, leaving the others with nothing—who could accept that?

Some proposed an equal division.

Others proposed dividing according to legitimate and concubine-born status.

Each was standing from their own position, fighting for their own interests.

The Heir of Marquis Beining and Miss Zhou Qi did not say a single word.

The Heir of Marquis Beining was still fretting over what he should do if Old Master Zhou really handed the wealth over to him.

He was the Heir of Marquis Beining.

It was impossible for him to give up the Beining Marquis Mansion and go take over the Zhou Family business.

If he really dared to do that, his legs would be broken by his parents.

He had no interest in the Zhou Family fortune, yet others had gone after his two sons—

This grudge!

Could not go unavenged!

A crowd of people argued noisily, making Old Master Zhou’s head pound.

He slammed the table angrily and said, "All of you, quiet down for me!"

"I called you back, not for you sisters to fight each other!"

At once, the room fell silent.

Strife was unavoidable.

But Old Master Zhou wanted them to fight fair and square.

The Zhou Family’s business was spread all across Daqi, but not every business made money; there were also those running at a loss.

Old Master Zhou picked seven loss-making shops and had each of his seven sons-in-law choose one.

Within three months, whoever managed the shop best would be the winner.

Everyone was very satisfied with this arrangement.

It was obvious that the Heir of Marquis Beining would be at a disadvantage, right?

He had scarcely ever managed a shop, let alone a shop that was already losing money.

Even so, there were still people objecting, "Although Seventh Brother-in-law doesn’t have much experience running shops, we all know that Princess Consort Zhenbei is skilled in this. If he asks Princess Consort Zhenbei for advice, how could we possibly compete with him?"

Old Master Zhou frowned and said, "You must rely on yourselves. If anyone violates this, their qualification for the contest will be revoked."

The Fifth Zhou son-in-law asked, "Turning losses into profits isn’t hard, but how much profit counts as winning?"

The others were curious about this as well.

Old Master Zhou looked at the several sons-in-law and said, "Each of you go find a lock."

The sons-in-law looked at one another, completely confused.

But since Old Master Zhou had given the order, they could only obey.

They each picked out a lock.

Old Master Zhou took out a letter from his robe and said, "The method for judging who wins and who loses, I’ve already written down."

"To prevent you from fearing I might show favoritism and change it at the last minute, it will be locked in a chest, one lock per person."

"Three months later, we’ll open it in public, for all to see."

Servants carried in seven chests, from small to large, and locked them layer by layer.

The eldest Zhou son-in-law put on the first lock.

The second Zhou son-in-law put on the second lock.

...

The Heir of Marquis Beining put on the last lock.

Each person held a key to one lock.

Unless all seven locks were gathered, no one should even think about opening the chest.

Especially with the last lock in the hands of the Heir of Marquis Beining—if they couldn’t get his, then the others’ were all the more useless.

Old Master Zhou looked at the several sons-in-law and said, "My Zhou Family does business seeking profit, but we also value feeling."

"My Zhou Family does not do business that goes against our conscience."

"When managing my Zhou Family’s shops, you must keep one word in mind—’benevolence.’"

The sons-in-law all said they would remember.

Three months could be very long, but also very short.

To earn the most Silver possible within three months, three days later, everyone set off together.

Those loss-making shops were scattered all across Daqi, some near, some far.

Old Master Zhou sent trusted followers to accompany them, to observe on his behalf. As for the sons-in-law’s business dealings, they would not interfere, much less help.

The seven sons-in-law left, while the seven daughters stayed at the Zhou Family to accompany Old Master Zhou.

For a moment it felt as if they had returned to the days in their boudoirs before marriage.

Only now, in this struggle over the family fortune, they no longer had their former harmony.

Open strife and secret fights, thrust and parry.

Every corner of the Zhou household was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Day by day, time passed, and they grew more and more anxious, Miss Zhou Qi included.

After all, this was a fortune that could rival a nation’s treasury—who could truly turn a blind eye?

Back then Miss Zhou Qi hadn’t wanted to marry; she’d wanted to stay in the Zhou Family to inherit the business. Besides, she also had to worry whether the Heir of Marquis Beining would run into danger.

Eight days later, the Heir of Marquis Beining finally arrived at the shop he had drawn by lot.

A pharmacy—not small in appearance.

The shop sat right on a bustling street, and there were quite a few people inside seeing the doctor and buying medicine.

The Heir of Marquis Beining was dumbfounded. He turned to the accompanying steward and asked, "Is this shop really losing money?"

The steward smiled and said, "It loses money every year, only the degree of loss varies."

"But the losses are all small."

The Heir of Marquis Beining just couldn’t figure it out.

How could this shop possibly not be making money?

The Heir of Marquis Beining entered the shop, and the first thing he did was look at the account books.

He could understand the account books, and he could see the losses.

The reason the shop wasn’t making money was because the medicine was sold too cheaply; some were practically being sold at cost or even at a loss.

The Heir of Marquis Beining’s head began to ache.

It wasn’t that the shop couldn’t make money; it was that his dear father-in-law didn’t want to make this money.

Not only the Heir of Marquis Beining—several of the other sons-in-law were in almost the same situation.

Most of the shops’ losses were caused by Old Master Zhou’s personal choices; turning losses into profits would be as easy as lifting a hand.

Including the Heir of Marquis Beining, once they arrived at the shops, they all immediately cut off Old Master Zhou’s way of doing things and sold the medicine as it "ought" to be sold.

But these shops had been in business for so many years; many people had survived only because the medicine was cheap enough for them to afford.

Now that the prices had gone up, those poor commoners could no longer buy medicine.

Some directly knelt in front of the Heir of Marquis Beining and the others, begging bitterly.

The Heir of Marquis Beining’s skull throbbed.

What was he supposed to do?

If he continued selling cheap medicine to them, the shop would definitely keep losing money.

But if he didn’t sell, how could his conscience bear it?

Unable to harden his heart, the Heir of Marquis Beining could only pay out of his own pocket.

The steward, "...."

The steward reminded him kindly, "For these three months, you only have one thousand taels of Silver."

The Heir of Marquis Beining, "...."

Did it have to be this ruthless?

Only one thousand taels for three months.

How was someone like him, who found even a thousand taels a month not enough to spend, supposed to live?

Even if he didn’t give this old granny money for medicine, one thousand taels still wouldn’t be enough for his own expenses.

"Then can I earn money for my own use?" the Heir of Marquis Beining asked.

"...."

The steward was a bit stunned.

That might, perhaps, be allowed?

The master had only told the sons-in-law to manage the shops; he hadn’t said they had to stay in the shop from morning till night.

"I’ll have to ask the master about that," the steward said cautiously.

Before Old Master Zhou’s reply arrived, the Heir of Marquis Beining was already down to his last three copper coins.

The steward, "...."