After dealing with the three lying opportunists, Yuelong slumped back on his chair. A tired look surfaced on his face. Rubbing his aching forehead, he unhappily muttered. "Why can't people be happy with what they have? Why must they always lie and steal from others?"

The situation from before went something like this; the three men were in charge of all the mines that were operated in Lorden City. They were responsible for the functioning of the mines and also had to meet a reasonable extraction quota set by the Mu Household. Thus far, there had been no hiccups. The Mu Family's quotas were met and the additional surplus was sold to private buyers by the three men to line their own pockets.

Recently, however, there was a change in this situation. The Mu Family's representative was changed and Yuelong arrived as the new Governor-General. These three men, noticing Yuelong's youth, incorrectly assumed that they would be able to scam this rich young master and pocket a greater portion of the mining proceeds for themselves.

At the start, although Yuelong had noticed their greed, he had let them be. He had other, more pressing matters to resolve and threw this to the end of his priorities. This week, however, these three men went so far as to audaciously claim that the mines were out of function and could not proceed with work for at least a few weeks!

Such an outcome would severely hamper the Mu Household's interests, and as the Eldest Young Master of the family, Mu Yuelong could not stand by and watch as his family was scammed and stolen from. After promptly investigating the situation, Yuelong invited the three men for a discussion.

And now, the discussion had come to an end. A reminder of whom he represented and what it meant was all that it took to curb their greed. While it was straightforward, it still took a great deal of time and effort to properly do it.

Just as Yuelong was bemoaning the evil nature of humankind, the door to the office opened once again and a neatly dressed middle-aged man entered. He seemed to have caught Yuelong's words of woe as he smiled lightly and said. "Young Master ought to understand that the true nature of human society is like this; an endless act of balancing greed."

"A bad leader is someone who is unable to counterbalance his subordinates' greed with his organization's greed. A good leader is someone who equally balances his organization's greed with his subordinates' greed. A competent leader is someone who can balance his organization's greed against his own greed."

"Oh, then what about a 'great leader,' Steward Zu?" asked Yuelong, jokingly.

"A great leader is someone whose greed engulfs everyone else's greed!" replied Steward Zu.

The neatly dressed middle-aged man named Steward Zu was an experienced manager from the Mu Household's main branch. He was sent alongside Yuelong to the South Aislan Continent and was instructed to act as his advisor during this period of time.

Yuelong chuckled at his answer. He remembered to etch Steward Zu's words from earlier and made a mental note to deeply consider it at a later time.

To learn from a man of Steward Zu's calibre was the fortune of a lifetime. Every word from a person like this contained deep-rooted meaning and was very profound.

Yuelong, being the earnest and hardworking person that he was, always sought to learn from those better than him. And unlike other young masters from other families, Yuelong possessed not a shred of arrogance.

Catching the look of respect and appreciation in Yuelong's eyes, Steward Zu felt happy in his heart. At first, he had been deeply disappointed in the Mu Family's decision to transfer him here to act as the young master's advisor. Now, however, he felt fortunate that it had happened.

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Not only was Mu Yuelong talented, earnest, and hardworking, but he was also respectful and appreciative of his seniors, elders, and betters. He possessed no arrogance and was a deep thinker. He was also very decisive when needed and could also bend when the situation required.

Most of all, Mu Yuelong was a person with a conscience. He was unlike most super-rich and super-powerful people who took everything that came their way for granted.

Recalling Yuelong's word-famous title, Steward Zu inwardly remarked that a person blessed and favoured by the heavens should indeed be someone like him. Once again, he felt glad about his transfer.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Steward Zu cleared his throat and said, "Young Master, now that the matter with the mines has been concluded the next item on your itinerary is—"

"Steward Zu, don't tell me that there is more work to do!" Yuelong looked frightened. He then pointed at the dozens of stacks of papers and books in front of him and said, "Look! I haven't even started on these yet! And I have to finish them by the end of today!"

"I understand, Young Master. However, there is only one more meeting left. After this, I promise that there will be no more for today," replied Steward Zu. "This meeting will not take long, I guarantee it."

"Fine." Yuelong let out a disgruntled sigh. As a leader, these were the responsibilities that he was in charge of. There was no point in complaining or getting angry. "Send them in."

Steward Zu bowed and retreated. Just as he was about to leave the room, Yuelong remembered a matter and asked, "Did that matter regarding some trading company's agents and spies get resolved?"

This was the biggest issue that Yuelong was handling before the matter with the mines. Some trading company had managed to sink its hands deep into the pockets of the Mu Household's faction. Not only was this company skimming off the top of the pot but they were also involved in the trading of controlled and prohibited goods, and even confidential information!

In fact, Yuelong had a sneaking suspicion that this matter involving the mines also had something to do with this trading company.

"Young Master is referring to the Roseland Trading Company, yes?" asked Steward Zu. He then shook his head and said, "We did receive a reply to our letter to them. However, in typical fashion, they denied knowledge about everything."

"How about the people we apprehended? Surely, we received something actionable from them, right?" asked Yuelong, frowning.

Steward Zu shook his head once more. "According to their words, they only had to submit the data to a courier; a bird. Then, their information would be evaluated and they would receive payments in a week. The entire process is completed with utmost anonymity."

"How about the whistleblower? Any leads on that front?"

"Once again, there is nothing, Young Master. Apart from the letter that this person sent, informing us of the hidden agents, we know nothing about this person. They did not even mention rewards or compensation in the letter."

Steward Zu wore a peculiar expression when he spoke of this matter. Just earlier, he had spoken about how 'greed' was the defining trait of humanity. Steward Zu did not say it for show but sincerely believed in it. People, in his eyes, were simply creatures with varying levels of greed.

However, this 'whistleblower,' the person who had sent them the letter revealing traces of the hidden agents and spies, seemed to be exempt from this norm. His actions revealed no greed. Such a character deeply disturbed Steward Zu.

Yuelong considered the matter for a while before saying. "Let this matter go. We can only treat this as a cautionary tale. Clear all the accounts related to the Roseland Trading Company and inform everyone to stop trading with them. We cannot ban their entry as this is a free market but we can still make them feel the pain."

"Understood. I will see that it is done," said Steward Zu. He then bowed once more and disappeared.

Yuelong casually appraised a few of the documents left on his table while waiting for this final person to arrive in his office. A few minutes passed when Yuelong heard the door open once again.

Lifting his head, he levelled a gaze at the newcomer. A tall person clad in flowing, scholarly-looking robes, and a wide-brimmed bamboo hat concealing his head. Just as Yuelong frowned at the vague familiarity of these features, he heard the newcomer speak.

"We meet again, Young Master Yuelong. I trust that you have been well. Oh, and congratulations on the engagement. You must forgive this humble scholar for not being able to attend."

The scholarly youth removed his hat. Wuzhi's peerlessly exquisite features and unique silver eyes came into the display.

Mu Yuelong froze. His face paled as if he had seen a ghost. He raised his trembling finger and pointed at Wuzhi. "Y-yo-you!"

Wuzhi performed a light bow and cheerfully spoke. "This humble scholar was given the name 'Wuzhi' and is surnamed 'Mu.' Please accept my formal greetings, Younger Brother Yuelong."

An unmistakable smirk of mischief occupied Wuzhi's face.