187: The trump card is lost

Yue Qingchen quickly replied, "Lord Huangfu, the scope of the Feng Family's Medicinal Pills has not exceeded the limit. I didn't mention anything about exceeding limits in the letter; I only stated that the prices of the Medicinal Pills from these two families were too low."

With these words, Yue Qingchen completely absolved himself, clearly unwilling to oppose Feng Ming.

Huangfu Mo naturally saw through Yue Qingchen's attitude and knew that today's business could not be accomplished.

Furthermore, everyone knew that no matter how the Huangfu Family and the Feng Family fought, they hadn't touched the laws of the Bright Moon Dynasty.

Huangfu Mo's heart grew even colder. He had thought that Huangfu He called him back because everything had been arranged, but upon arrival, he realized it was all for nothing.

Not only was nothing arranged, but he also came to understand that the entire power of Qingyang City now stood with the Feng Family.

The Huangfu Family was the one isolated and without help.

No wonder they were in such a hurry to urge him back.

Feng Ming observed Huangfu Mo's reaction and asked with a smile, "Lord Huangfu, may I ask if there is a problem with the Medicinal Pills sold by our Feng Family?"

Huangfu Mo shook his head. "There aren't any major problems; it's just that the prices are a bit low."

Feng Ming smiled and said, "We are doing this to give back to our customers. Surely we aren't breaking the law just because we aren't making a profit?"

Huangfu Mo shook his head repeatedly. "Naturally not!"

Seeing this, Feng Ming smiled and said, "Since there are no issues on my end, I will continue with my meal. Please carry on with your work, Lord Huangfu."

After speaking, Feng Ming motioned for Jiang Shuwan and Hua Dieer to sit down and begin eating.

Lu Zhenfeng, Yue Qingchen, and the others also sat down in turn, but no one invited Huangfu Mo.

Huangfu Mo was suddenly extremely embarrassed.

"Then you all go ahead and eat. I'll head to the Huangfu Family to understand the situation."

"Farewell, everyone!"

After saying this, Huangfu Mo quickly departed.

He left as dejectedly as he had arrived high-spirited.

Jiang Shuwan laughed so hard she trembled.

Hua Dieer also had a look of admiration on her face.

Lu Zhenfeng asked curiously, "Who exactly killed Rotten Wood? Tell me the truth."

Feng Ming looked up, put down his chopsticks, picked up a wine cup, took a sip, and said, "Naturally, it was me. But there's no need to discuss the process and the trump cards used, right?"

Lu Zhenfeng was stunned and nodded repeatedly. "No need, no need at all."

"However, Huangfu Mo's trip was in vain. The Huangfu Family isn't far from falling apart."

"Once the matters with the Huangfu Family are over, you and Anan should get married."

Feng Ming cupped his hands and thanked him repeatedly.

Jiang Shuwan also had a smile on her face.

Only Hua Dieer's smile didn't reach her eyes.

It was unclear whether she was envious or sad.

After the banquet ended, Feng Ming did not return home but followed Lu Zhenfeng to the Feng Family's Pill Workshop.

Inside a private room.

As several people sat together, Lu Zhenfeng finally spoke: "There were many eyes and ears just now, so I didn't say much and it wasn't convenient to ask. Now that we are all among our own, I will speak plainly."

"Firstly, I didn't expect Feng Ming to be able to kill Rotten Wood. But because of this, the Huangfu Family will be wary. Moreover, Huangfu Mo has an average relationship with Huangfu He, so I'm afraid he won't stand with the Huangfu Family to become your enemy."

"But in that case, the Huangfu Family will be even harder to deal with. If they admit defeat and stop making moves, how am I supposed to destroy them?"

From the beginning, Feng Ming and Lu Zhenfeng's goals were different.

Whether the Huangfu Family admitted defeat to become a distributor or withdrew from Qingyang City, the impact on Feng Ming would be small; both were acceptable results.

But Lu Zhenfeng was the City Lord. The Huangfu Family had committed so many evil deeds; if they chose to lay low or leave Qingyang City, how could he settle the score with them?

How could he seek revenge for those who had died?

Feng Ming smiled and said, "Father-in-law, please stay calm. The destruction of the Huangfu Family is only a matter of time. We just need to wait and leave the rest to time."

"Leave it to time?"

Lu Zhenfeng could not understand this reasoning.

"Let's put it this way: even if the Huangfu Family lies low, they have no way to make a comeback, and it's impossible for them to even develop further."

Seeing Feng Ming so certain, Lu Zhenfeng was puzzled: "Why?"

"The Huangfu Family is used to wealth; from top to bottom, they exude extravagance. It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Once their clansmen feel their standard of living and status dropping..."

"That intense sense of loss will cause dissatisfaction. Over time, when people's hearts are no longer united, internal strife will surely arise. Once it reaches that stage, it will be much easier to investigate their past deeds."

Lu Zhenfeng thought about it and nodded in agreement; it did seem to be the case.

Feng Ming continued, "Of course, that's not the only possibility. Another scenario is that the Huangfu Family will burn their bridges and fight me to the death."

"Based on my understanding of Huangfu He, they certainly won't believe I killed Rotten Wood. Instead, they'll suspect you helped me in secret. In that case, they'll have Huangfu Mo stall you while the two of them personally try to kill me to gain a chance for the Huangfu Family to turn things around."

"After all, for the entire Feng Family, as long as I die, everything is resolved. However, they certainly won't have the chance."

Lu Zhenfeng nodded. Since Feng Ming had guessed it all, what chance did the Huangfu Family have left?

Regardless of which of the two options they chose, the result seemed to be the same.

On the contrary, if they dared to take action, he would directly dispatch troops to arrest them.

Having understood this, Lu Zhenfeng looked at Feng Ming with glowing eyes. "As expected of my, Lu Zhenfeng's, son-in-law. Your strategy is truly admirable."

Hearing this, Lu An'an, who was nearby, looked bashful.

"Father! What nonsense are you saying! We aren't married yet."

Lu Zhenfeng laughed loudly. "It's only a matter of time."

If he hadn't fully approved of Feng Ming at first, after so many interactions, Lu Zhenfeng only felt fortunate.

Having someone like Feng Ming as a friend or relative was good for anyone; once he became an enemy, one would likely tremble even in their dreams.

"Once this matter is settled, your mother and I will go to the Feng Family to finalize the marriage arrangements."

Lu Zhenfeng felt he had raised a good daughter. He couldn't let such a son-in-law get away; he had to settle things early.

On the other side, at the Huangfu Family residence.

Huangfu Mo, Huangfu He, and Huangfu Qing were gathered together.

However, the atmosphere in the study was not very harmonious.

Huangfu Mo looked coldly at Huangfu He and Huangfu Qing and said in a low voice, "Explain yourselves!"

Huangfu Qing looked at Huangfu He with worry, not knowing how to speak.

Huangfu He's expression was grim. "Explain what?"

"If you were really so capable, you shouldn't have called me back. You called me back only to pull this stunt. News of Rotten Wood's death has spread throughout the city, and you actually ask me what to explain?"

Huangfu Mo looked like he was about to explode.

Huangfu He gave a bitter smile. "That's right, I did indeed seek out Rotten Wood. But you also know that as an official, the help you can give me is limited. Besides, you wouldn't abandon your future for the sake of the Huangfu Family."

He had no other choice but to find other helpers.

Huangfu Mo snorted coldly: "True, the Huangfu Family has never given me anything; to me, it's nothing. I naturally won't abandon my future. But you should have at least told me so I could be mentally prepared."

"Do you know how passive my situation was today when I saw Rotten Wood's corpse?"

Huangfu He shook his head. "It's impossible for Feng Ming to have killed Rotten Wood. You must have been deceived."

Huangfu Mo was speechless. "Fool, it doesn't matter who killed Rotten Wood. What matters is that your trump card is lost."

"Whether it's Yue Qingchen or Hua Dieer, they are all on Feng Ming's side. Lu Zhenfeng is constantly looking for an opportunity to destroy the Huangfu Family. In our current situation, how are we supposed to respond?"