harleyscars Page 112
Page 112
His movements were indeed swift and efficient, without any hesitation.
When Kanzaki Teru was not speaking, he was mostly observing the situation around him.
Now, looking at the money shop, he saw that it was indeed running very well.
He truly lived up to his father's reputation, trusting their operations so implicitly.
Following Fugui's directions, Kanzaki Teru arrived at a side hall inside.
The shopkeeper greeted us with the same warm hospitality as always.
Offering stools and serving tea and water, Fugui'er, observing his manager's unusual behavior, could roughly understand what was going on.
Chapter 168: We Can't Put the Cart Before the Horse 6
Fugui'er was also exceptionally attentive, and together with the shopkeeper, they subtly displayed Kanzaki Hikaru's distinguished status. 7
However, they were unaware that the young master before them was not as difficult to deal with as they had imagined.
Kanzaki Teru's real purpose wasn't to audit the accounts; he wasn't being so responsible or conscientious.
However, the shopkeeper is also a reporter, as evidenced by what Kanzaki Teru said when he came in. 5
How could he possibly know that this statement was just a pretext used by their young master to achieve his true purpose?
As the manager and the assistant manager, they had no reason to speculate about their master's feelings and thoughts.
The only thing I could do was to obey them completely.
Kanzaki Teru was very satisfied with such a subordinate; he wanted someone who could speak freely and openly to him about anything.
The more he talked, the happier Kanzaki Teru became, and the more questions he asked.
The shopkeeper quickly presented all 740 of the most confidential documents to Kanzaki Hiroshi.
Kanzaki Teru was surprised by the speed and the level of obedience, but only for a second.
"Cough cough."
Kanzaki Teru coughed twice, putting on airs, as if that would make him look more serious.
Although he does seem quite proper now, he still feels a bit guilty because his intentions aren't pure.
This is probably to bolster my courage and lay some groundwork for my later fabrications.
"Young Master, I think this is all the industry information you wanted to see."
"Our money exchange can't really manage many things. The only thing we can manage is the money that all the businesses know about together."
"If the young master wants to take over, he'll have to go to several places."
"However, our bank will certainly do its best to assist you, young master."
Before Kanzaki Teru could even open his mouth, the money shop manager had already begun to ramble on about his loyalty and devotion.
Kanzaki Teru picked up the ledger in front of him and flipped through it, pretending to be interested.
His eyes swept across the book, but in that fleeting glance, he certainly memorized the contents and numbers.
But what I felt most was the rapid spinning inside my head.
What information about this place could we glean from the money exchange manager?
Kanzaki Teru used the time spent in the revenue sharing department as a cover for his own thoughts.
Suddenly an idea struck me.
"Manager! I've heard about all the businesses listed in this ledger."
"I just don't know if our family has ever engaged in any commercial activities."
Kanzaki Teru didn't choose the roundabout way; asking for money directly from the money exchange owner was definitely the most convenient method.
And getting straight to the point also saves more time.
Now that he's in the role of a young master, he's going to talk to the family's manager, so the other formalities can be skipped.
Clearly, Kanzaki Hikaru's question is very insightful.
Upon hearing this, Fu Gui'er and the shopkeeper stared at each other in disbelief.
After a long pause, the shopkeeper finally spoke hesitantly.
"I don't know why you ask this, young master. I've lived in the front village for so many years and have never heard of any business outside."
Perhaps it was the inherent sense of pressure from superiors and subordinates that made the shopkeeper appear somewhat nervous when he replied.
Seeing this, Kanzaki Teru quickly reassured him, afraid that his questions would frighten the shopkeeper and prevent him from getting the information he wanted.
"Shopkeeper, don't be nervous. Just tell me what you know."
Then he quickly lowered his stance.
"I'm new here and there's a lot I don't know. I'll have to ask you to patiently tell me everything."
This method worked, and after Kanzaki Teru said that, the shopkeeper visibly relaxed a lot.
Kanzaki Teru seized the opportunity to follow up on the issue that had just arisen.
“I have seen all the contents of these ledgers. Since I came to Qianzhuang to find you, I must want to ask about some things that are not recorded in the ledgers.”
Although the shopkeeper didn't seem to fully understand the sentence, he still spoke frankly and without reservation.
"Young master, please tell me. I will tell you everything I know."
Kanzaki Teru didn't hold back either, after all, that was exactly what he wanted to hear.
"What I just said might have been a little misinterpreted. I just wanted to know, besides the Yan Kingdom, does our family have any other businesses elsewhere?"
The shopkeeper didn't even think before blurting it out.
"The Shenqi family's businesses are known to everyone in the entire Yan Kingdom!"
"Not to mention within the imperial city, we have influence in all the prefectures and counties."
"That's why the master's assets and capital are unmatched by any other merchant."
"Merchants who can manage a region are considered top-notch."
"But the master was farsighted and had long ago spread his business throughout the entire Yan Kingdom. Year after year, the wealth accumulated by his descendants will probably be inexhaustible!"
"But outside of Yan, in my decades at the money exchange, I have truly never heard of any other place where apprentices are taken in or expenses are paid!"
Chapter 169: We never talk about the outside world
Kanzaki Teru was extremely curious. What could be the reason? The people here seemed to know nothing about DJs from outside Yan Kingdom, and didn't even seem to have the slightest interest in them.
Throughout history, there must have been connections between great powers.
Even if the common people were unaware, it was absolutely impossible for this wealthy merchant family to be completely unaware of it and completely uninvolved in it.
Kanzaki Teru slowly deduced based on the fragmented memories and experiences within them.
His family were wealthy merchants, and it seemed that he received extremely preferential treatment throughout the capital.
Not to mention that he also married Princess Gaoyue, the emperor's favorite princess.
Each and every one of these incidents demonstrates the extremely powerful background of his family.
Based on this gradual deduction, it's clear that his family, being merchants, must have helped the Emperor cultivate good relations with surrounding countries in other ways.
However, this very logical and well-founded reasoning seems to be completely unworkable in the Yan state.
Kanzaki Teru witnessed the prosperity and bustle of the place, but couldn't help but wonder if other countries would really covet such a peaceful and prosperous country.
Is it really impossible for a war to be started?
Although everyone envies the Peach Blossom Spring, it is not a small place, but a vast country.
How did they manage to cut themselves off from their surroundings and still prosper so much?
Kanzaki Teru was calculating in his mind; to truly understand these things, simply accepting his own business would be far from enough.
We must make good use of the connections with the Emperor's father-in-law's family.
Fortunately, the path his family paved for him was smooth enough that he wouldn't have to struggle too much.
Now, Kanzaki Teru has to get everything the shopkeeper knows out of him.
"Shopkeeper, before I took over the family business, I read quite a few books."
"I know that if you want your business to grow bigger and stronger, you can't do without dealing with the outside world."
"How did our family business manage to thrive in such a closed environment?"
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's eyes widened in confusion.
"Young master, what are you saying? Let alone our own business, we have never heard of any other family venturing out of Yan State."
"Our Yan state is so powerful. With a strong country comes a strong people. We should maximize the benefits of our own resources within the country. How could we let outsiders benefit from them?"
Kanzaki Teru sensed a strong sense of stagnation and complacency in the conversation.
However, if a country has been able to remain closed off and maintain its independence for so many years and still achieve prosperity, then there must be some unknown secret behind it.
Kanzaki Teru glanced at the ledger in front of him again. The various industries involved were very extensive, and he couldn't find any flaws for the time being.
It looks like just very detailed family accounts.
Kanzaki Teru had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Has the shopkeeper ever heard of anything about other countries?"
"I read in the book that people in ancient times loved to travel, and I was very envious of that."
"I wonder if the shopkeeper, with all his knowledge and experience, has heard of any such experiences?"
Kanzaki Teru still had to keep subtly probing, he just couldn't believe that this place was really isolated from the world.
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"I wonder which book you heard this from, young master, but we people of Yan have never liked to go to other places."
Kanzaki Teru clearly sensed a deeper meaning and a very subtle hostility in the shopkeeper's words.
However, the shopkeeper had been in the business for so many years that he was very good at hiding his little emotions. It was just that the person opposite him was Kanzaki Teru, which made it impossible for him to hide his subtle expressions, movements, and even his inner thoughts.
This made Kanzaki Teru even more curious, vaguely sensing that the people here were beginning to harbor a certain hostility towards the outside world.