203: Chapter 203 Dongcheng District

Jinhuai Branch.

Due to the contraband incident, the operations of the entire Jinhuai Branch had come to a standstill.

Naturally, the merchants who did business with the Jinhuai Branch were also affected by this matter.

These merchants canceled their business with the Jinhuai Branch one after another.

To this, Pei Tianquan could only bite the bullet and accept it.

Fortunately, in the Great Jing Dynasty, there was no such thing as paying liquidated damages.

Otherwise, the impact of this single incident alone would likely have caused the Jinhuai Branch to lose everything, down to its very underpants.

But then again, among the various Great Families that had invested, none of them had withdrawn their shares.

For him, this was the only blessing.

Not long after the Old Ancestor handed over the Jinhuai Branch to him, such a major blunder had occurred.

In the last two days, he had been nearly overwhelmed with work, but his gains were minimal.

He still had no clue as to the owner indicated by the clues regarding the contraband.

“Could it be that I can only find a scapegoat to take the fall?” Pei Tianquan said with a face full of worry.

After this matter came to light, Pei Tianquan had thought of two solutions.

If he could find the source of this batch of contraband, that would naturally be best.

If he couldn't find them, then a solution would certainly be needed.

Regardless of how the yamen handled it, his Jinhuai Branch had to distance itself from this connection as much as possible.

A scapegoat was, naturally, indispensable.

But this was not the best solution.

He didn't want to use this plan unless it was the last resort.

For one, the time was too short, and the other party had planned it meticulously; he would most likely just have to take the loss in silence.

Meanwhile.

Near the main road of Mingshui Street where the Jinhuai Branch was located, a scene of desolation appeared, even worse than it had been a year ago.

On the main road, aside from a few horse-drawn carriages, the passing pedestrians were few and far between.

Throughout the entire morning, the total number of people did not exceed three.

For a main street that was a li long, the foot traffic was truly too meager.

They prospered together and suffered together.

The Jinhuai Branch had suspended operations for rectification, and the various merchants in this area who relied on the Jinhuai Branch were also severely affected.

The merchants all had worried expressions.

They had finally managed to start living good lives.

Less than a year had passed before this mess happened.

It could be said that they were the ones who least wanted anything to happen to the Jinhuai Branch.

“When will these days ever end? We finally had some hope, and then this happens. Which power was it that did such a wicked thing?” a shop owner said indignantly.

Ever since the news of the contraband spread, the first to hear of it were naturally the merchants on Mingshui Street.

Although these merchants were not all from Great Families, they all believed there was something fishy about this matter.

On the day the Jinhuai Branch opened, a constant stream of Great Families visited, and its reputation was at its peak.

With such a background, how could the yamen dare to investigate it easily?

They weren't like these mud-legs, whom the yamen could manipulate at will.

At this moment, they truly understood the saying.

When the gods fight, it is the common people who suffer.

Just then, a young customer seemed to hear the shopkeeper's complaints and asked curiously, “I heard that the Yuanhang Trade Caravan was investigated for smuggling contraband. Could it be that there's more to it?”

“As for inside information, how could a commoner like me find out? Customer, I didn't say anything just now. Here is the plate of cooked beef you wanted.” The shopkeeper brought over a plate of beef and shook his head repeatedly.

Seeing the shopkeeper say this, the young customer was also somewhat disappointed.

In fact, the young customer was not from Mingshui Street but from one of the Six Counties of Jinhuai.

This time, he had originally come specifically for the Jinhuai Branch.

Back in his own county, he had heard that the Yuanhang Trade Caravan offered good benefits and that the Jinhuai Branch was recruiting.

So he traveled a thousand li to come to Mingshui Street.

But just one day after arriving, he heard this news.

For anyone else, this would be no less than a bolt from the blue.

Fortunately, he still had some money on him to survive for the time being.

So, he thought about inquiring into the inside story of this contraband incident. If the Jinhuai Branch's business could resume in a short time, he would naturally stay.

If not, he would have to find another way.

A man's ambition lies in all directions; since he had come out, he naturally couldn't go back.

...

Jinhuai Prefecture, East District.

As one of the four major urban districts of Jinhuai Prefecture, the East District had always been at the bottom.

Whether in terms of economy or facilities, it was far behind the other three major districts, being at most a bit better than the various counties of Jinhuai?

This also made the Great Families in the East District extremely rare, numbering less than can be counted on one hand. The strongest Great Family among them was merely a veteran third-rate family.

Overall, the proportion of Great Families in the East District was less than one-tenth of those in Jinhuai City.

If Jinhuai Prefecture were divided into inner and outer cities, the East District would undoubtedly be the outer city.

Walking on the main road of the East District, if one accidentally stepped on something, it would be expected.

At this moment, in a dilapidated alley, two children whose ages were hard to tell due to their dirty faces and tattered clothes were chasing each other.