On the third day of the eighth lunar month, the copper incense burner in the main hall of the Marquis’s Mansion was filled with agarwood, yet it could not suppress the gunpowder-like tension in the air. The Marquis’s hand trembled slightly as he clutched his teacup, gazing at the seven merchant representatives standing below him. "You lot already made a scene yesterday," he said, his voice laced with impatience. "Why have you come again today?"
"Naturally, we are here for the Marquis’s Mansion to provide an explanation!" Mister Wang stepped forward, his girth straining against his belt until it creaked. "The Prefect of Shuntian only arrested the Shen Clan yesterday. Who is going to compensate us for our losses?"
"Exactly!" Manager Li shook a tattered ledger. "The customer base of my fabric shop in the West City has been poached by the Marquis’s trade routes. Now, my shop is as desolate as a graveyard!"
Chapter 179