The Lin family of three got on a horse-drawn carriage and headed to the Shengji Wine House. Shang Mingyuan, who was sleeping in the guest room, was woken up by a young servant, "Master, wake up quickly, Manager Zhao has an urgent matter to see you."

  Still drowsy and confused, he opened his eyes and mumbled: "Whats so important that it cant wait till morning? After rushing for two days, cant I get a good nights sleep?"

  Zhao the housekeeper heard this at the door and couldnt help but push it open with a "slam", rushing forward to grab Shang Mingyuan urgently: "Master, what did Old Lady and Second Lady instruct you before we left that you forgot?"

  Shang Ming suddenly became a little more awake, hugging his quilt and sitting up.

  Zhao the steward saw that he was still looking confused, and couldnt help but stamp his foot and say: "The old master wants to sell all of the Lin familys property, and has already gone to the Shengji Wine House. You must hurry up and stop them!"

  Zhao Guanshi thought of the purpose of this visit and couldnt help but complain: "Last night, you shouldnt have gone to bed so early. You should have first gone to see Old Master and completed the tasks that Old Lady had entrusted to him..."

  Shang Mingyuan was furious, "Miss Lin said that my uncle is seriously ill and cannot see guests, can I still force my way in? How did I know they were so anxious, I only arrived yesterday evening, and today they want to announce the auction?"

  Zhao Guanshi held back his temper, suppressing the anger in his chest, and slowly composed his expression: "Youre right, the Lin family was too hasty. We should hurry to see Old Master Liu and ask him to come back. After all, its just an announcement, not a final decision. Its still possible to regret it afterwards."

  Shang Mingyuan muttered, "Still dont know if Uncle is willing or not."

  Zhao the steward smiled, "Of course Master is willing. Miss Biao and Second Master have grown up together since childhood, and they are well-matched in terms of character, appearance, family background, and talent. When Miss Biao marries into another family, she will be spoiled by the old lady, whats not good about that?"

  Shang Mingyuan thought of his second brother and cousins feelings, nodded, and got up to change clothes without delay.

  Zhao the steward handed over the clothes while instructing him, "Sir, since youve met the young master, be sure to mention Old Lady and Second Ladys fondness for Miss Lin to him. He doesnt trust the Suzhou Lin family, does he not trust our Shang family either?"

  "Before the old lady passed away, our cousin had been living with us for three years. Everyone can see how the first and second madams treated her. Its a pity to sell so many properties for nothing, why not leave them to our cousin as dowry? In the future, she will have more to rely on."

  Its actually okay if its sold, but who is in charge of the money?

  Shang Mingyuan was also thinking about this issue and murmured: "You say Uncle is so anxious to sell the property, is he planning to entrust the money to the Ministry of Revenue?"

  The Ministry of Revenue was not only in charge of the countrys finances, but also expanded a business - replacing officials to manage their property, collecting a certain interest, and returning the property only after the heir reached the age set by the other party.

  Of course, there are requirements for the official rank, and the interest received is not small. But entrusting property to the Ministry of Revenue is reassuring, no need to worry about being embezzled.

  Generally, officials who have no relatives or distrust their relatives and friends will do so for peace of mind, although rare, there are precedents.

  "Its said that Old Master Zhao submitted a petition to the higher-ups a few days ago, most likely asking for this matter. Zhao the steward sighed, Entrusting it to the Ministry of Revenue, the annual interest collected is not small. Why must Old Master Zhao go to such trouble? If he doesnt trust the Lin family of Suzhou, why not entrust it to Old Lady instead? Can our Old Lady possibly embezzle Miss Baos property?"

  The person standing by the back window quietly retreated and avoided peoples sight to go to the front yard.

  Lin Guans eyes darkened as he heard the report from his subordinate. He said in a cold tone, "Have someone keep a close eye on him and dont let him find out."

  "Yes."

  Lin Guans face was cold and he didnt say a word, so Lin Nai Nai looked up at him and sighed: "No wonder Master wanted Eldest Miss to marry into the Xie family before returning to the clan. Now, apart from Eldest Miss, no one else can be trusted."

  "The Shang family is separated by a layer, Master doesnt want them and they cant help it, but the Lin familys elders are almost here, we need to get ready."

  Lin nodded slightly, "I know, the guest rooms have all been cleaned up. The young mistress said that no matter how we feel inside, we cant show it on our faces. In the future, when we return to Suzhou, well still need to interact with the clan."

  Zhao Guanshi and others still didnt know the contents of Lin Jiangs petition, and several big families thought that the Lin family was planning to sell their property and entrust the silver to the Ministry of Revenue for safekeeping.

  When the Lin familys carriage stopped in front of Shengji Wine Tower, everyones eyes turned to stare at Lin Jiang as he got off the carriage.

  Lin Jiangs face was pale, and he only hurried a bit when dismounting, panting slightly. The crowd sighed in their hearts, thinking that this person had come to persuade them to donate grain just a short time ago, but who would have thought that after just one month, he would become so ill?

  Lin Qingwan and Lin Yuhong supported Lin Jiang on either side as they entered, the boss of Shengji Wine Tower personally came out to greet them.

  Lin Jiang smiled and greeted everyone, slowly walking up to the second floor.

  Xie Yan, Zhao Sheng and Zhou Bo were sitting cross-legged on the couch in the middle of the second floor. When they saw Lin Jiang, they immediately stood up and welcomed him to take a seat.

  Lin Jiang didnt stand on ceremony either, crossing his legs and sitting down in the first seat, introducing Lin Qingyuan to everyone, "This is my younger sister."

  The three of them greeted Lin Qingyuan, who first bowed to the three of them and then paid special respects to Xie Yan, calling out "Father".

  Everyone suddenly remembered that she was still Xie Yans daughter-in-law and for a moment they looked at Xie Yan with some strange expressions.

  Lin Jiang added: "From now on, Lins family will be managed by my sister, and I ask everyone to help her."

  As soon as this was said, everyone looked at Xie Yan and Lin Qingwans expressions even more strangely. A married woman who returned to her natal family as the head of the household, did Lin Jiang not foresee that his own days were numbered when he let Lin Qingwan marry Xie Yimeng back then?

  Xie Yan looked at Lin Jiang and Lin Qingwan with equal suspicion.

  Lin Qingwan stood expressionless beside Lin Jiang, her eyes cast downward as she allowed others to scrutinize her.

  The upstairs and downstairs were quiet.

  Its not uncommon for a woman to be in charge of the household, but Lin Qingyuan is still young and has just returned home after her husbands death, so people cant help but look down on her.

  And would the Lin family clan agree?

  Xie Yan seemed to be lost in thought, wondering if Lin Jiangs proposal of marriage at the beginning was actually for today.

  Zhao Sheng glanced at Lin Qingyuan, his mouth curved into a smile that didnt move. Zhou Bo was stunned for a moment before inviting Lin Qingyuan to sit down, "Miss Lin, please take a seat."

  Lin Qingwan smiled gratefully at him and knelt down beside Lin Jiang.

  The Lin family used high chairs and tables in both the front and back yards. At this moment, she had to kneel down and sit, which made her feel a bit unaccustomed.

  However, the time was short, and she didnt feel the pain for the time being. Seeing Lin Jiang lowering his head to drink tea, Lin Qingyan took the initiative to bring up the topic.

  "Is Mr. Zhou also interested in the Lin familys property?" Because Zhou Bo was the first person to show her kindness, Lin Qingyu happily spoke with him first, and as for Xie Yan sitting across from her, she pretended not to see her.

  Zhou Bai laughed and said: "Many of Lins industries are hard to come by, Im afraid no one is uninterested in the world."

  "What properties is Mr. Zhou planning to buy this week?"

  Zhou Bo didnt expect Lin Qingwan to be so direct, and he glanced at Lin Jiang, seeing him lower his eyes to look at the tea bowl, with a look of letting his sister take charge. He then smiled and said: "This still depends on the price that Big Sister is willing to sell for, I wonder which properties Big Sister plans to sell?"

  Everyone upstairs and downstairs pricked up their ears.

  Lin Qingwan smiled and said: "Except for those two farms in Suzhou and the Lin familys bookstore, all other properties are sold."

  This news came crashing down, leaving everyone stunned. Xie Yan was the first to come back to his senses, and he exclaimed: "Sell everything? The tea gardens in Hangzhou, those thousands of hectares of farmland, and the six silver buildings are all sold?"

  Lin Qingwan nodded slightly, "Right, sell them all."

  The crowd could no longer hold back and began whispering to each other.

  Zhou Bai hesitated for a moment before advising, "Lin brother, are you in urgent need of money? Why not mortgage your property and borrow from someone first, at least leave something for the next generation."

  Lin Jiang raised his head and smiled: "Its fine if my sister takes charge of this matter."

  Everyone was skeptical, how could such a big thing be handled by Lin Qingwan, a little girl? Wasnt it just listening to Lin Jiang?

  But in any case, this matter didnt harm them. Lins industries were naturally not all known to them, but people from each industry knew about the Lin familys industries within their own field.

  For example, the Shi family, because they were in the tea business, had several tea leaves, and they all knew their scale.

  For example, the Zhou family, because their ancestral home is in Jiangdu, they are very familiar with the Lin familys large farms in Jiangdu. Before coming, they had already thought that if the Lin family put these properties on sale, they would definitely buy them no matter what.

  For example, Zhao Sheng had been eyeing those few silver buildings of Lins for a long time.

  Zhao Sheng couldnt help but ask: "Miss Lin, I wonder how much you plan to sell those several silver buildings for?"

  Lin Qingwan smiled and said, "The Lin familys Silver Building has six buildings. Some craftsmen, managers, and apprentices are unwilling to leave the Lin family, so I will take them away. Some will redeem themselves and leave, and those who are willing to stay in the Silver Building, I dont know if the person taking over is willing to treat them well."

  "This is naturally no problem," a wealthy merchant at the next table immediately said: "The people who come out of Lins Silver Building are all good, if I take over, Ill be relying on them to help me."

  Talents are hard to come by; buying a silver building is not only for its facade value but also for the talents inside.

  Zhao Sheng glanced at him and nodded with a smile: "Those who are willing to stay, I will naturally treat them well."

  "Alright," Lin Qingyan said in a clear voice, "In order to protect their interests, not just the Silver Pavilion, but also the servants and workers from other places. Whoever is willing to stay will be treated well by the buyers of the property. At least for three years, their salary and benefits cannot be lower than what the Lin family provided before. We will sign a contract regarding this matter."

  Zhao Sheng furrowed his brow, "Miss Lin hasnt said how you plan on selling this Silver Building yet?"

  "All industries are auctioned off. At that time, we will give a floor price, and you can only bid above the floor price. The highest bidder wins."

  Everyone was shocked and did not expect it to be this way, but in this case, the price is likely to skyrocket.

  Zhou Bai furrowed his brow and asked, "What if no one makes a bid?"

  "Then lets just drop it," Lin Qingyan said with a smile: "The industry that was dropped may be one that our ancestors did not want us to sell, and at that time we can just keep it for ourselves to operate."

  Everyone: ……

  So youve set high prices and they didnt sell, whats the point of inviting us over now?

  Zhou Bo spoke on behalf of everyones implicit concern, and Lin Qingwen comforted: "Everyone can rest assured, the bottom price was discussed and decided by me and the managers for a long time, it is within a reasonable range and will not be too high."

  Everyone felt slightly relieved upon hearing this.