After her fight, Huang Cixi had received the praise of many members of the Huang family, both from the younger generation and from a few elders. Among the elders, there were still a number of old men and women who were indecisive about who to support as the new matriarch. Most of them had once supported Huang Lü and after her statement, they had waited to see how the situation would evolve. Right now, they had all joined Huang Cixi's cause. Thanks to this fight, and to her exceptional bloodline that was exposed for all to see, she had won them over. No more hesitation was present in their mind. They could see a bright future.
Huang Cixi would be a perfect matriarch while Huang Lü and Huang Si could serve the Huang family in other domains. Huang Lü had completely changed in the previous month and had shown that she was a great cultivator and martial artist. Some elders were sad to not see her anymore in art gatherings but clearly she had only been attending them for her ambitions, not out of passion.
Huang Si, even as an elder, could also bring great fortune to the Huang family. But at this moment, she had no time at all to think about that. Despite the fresh memory of the fight, Huang Si was preoccupied with other matters. Cai Ying and she had been working nonstop to find information on what was going on in her business outside of the Wu Province, but also within. Of course, she had severe suspicions concerning Huang Cixi but she didn't even have time for that. Many of her shops had been either bought or their competitors helped beyond measure. Some of the contracts she was negotiating had been stolen by others or simply retracted.
As of now, Huang Si was using her emergency funds to try and stop the hemorrhage. If it kept on going like that, she would not go bankrupt because she knew when to stop, but she would lose a significant amount of influence and power all other the kingdom. There were businesses she had spent years to build relationships and connections into that were fading away. Huang Si could not believe what was going on. Apart from the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall, no one should be able to do such an attack on her business.
However, she could not imagine that the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall would stoop so low as to obstruct her. Thinking about it, Huang Si focused her thoughts. Right now, knowing who was responsible was pointless. She had to do something to preserve her current status and business. No matter what, she first had to answer to the emergency and then she could worry about those who were responsible and rebuild. As a young and talented cultivator, Huang Si was certain that she would eventually reach the late Spirit Warrior stages. Hence, spending even several hundred years rebuilding her network and influence did not seem impossible. It would be a pain though.
As the young woman was completely absorbed by her survival, someone knocked at her door.
"Cai Ying, send them away!"
"Of course, Young Mistress."
The girl let go of the documents in her hand and went toward the door. After opening it, she saw Huang Cixi and Huang Lü. Seeing the latter's familiar face, Cai Ying was shocked. After her treason had been revealed, Cai Ying was convinced that she would never see Huang Lü ever again. To be honest, she liked the woman but her loyalty laid with Huang Si.
"Young Mist... I mean, Miss Huang Lü... and Miss Huang Cixi." Cai Ying did not even register Huang Cixi's presence right away.
"Traitorous Cai Ying, my friend had some things to discuss with your mistress. Let's catch up together."
"But..." Huang Lü did not let her former servant finish, or protest for that matter. As she took her by the arm, Huang Cixi entered the room.
Since Huang Si was a Mortal Warrior, she clearly heard what had happened. Moreover, she could feel the distinctive Qi surrounding Huang Cixi. After witnessing her fight, she could recognize this feeling without any problem.
"Junior Sister, what do you want with me? I am quite busy right now. If your matter is truly urgent, I can take some time, but..."
"I know, Sister. You're losing a lot of money as we speak."
Without a care in the world, Huang Cixi took a chair and sat down at Huang Si's desk. Her rival's face darkened as Huang Cixi took a few documents here and there, feigning to read them.
"This is truly suspicious, isn't it? I wonder what could happen to your business. I mean... If someone wanted to take you down, they would first need to know exactly what your assets are. Your talents are indeed impressive. And I am sure that your connections are all well hidden and complex. You must have an impressive network of interests. Figuring out what's yours should take an average person years, if not decades. They would need to have contact in very high places to achieve such a feat in less than a month.
"And then, even if one could figure out all your connections and have an overview of your entire network, how could they impact it so easily? Do you imagine the amount of resources it would take? I'm pretty sure, a big percentage of what our Xiliang Mines produce every year would barely cover the cost of such an operation..."
Huang Si had her suspicions but she could not figure out how Huang Cixi could have the power to back up such a move. Indeed, everything she had said was true. That meant two things. Firstly, Huang Cixi was really responsible for all of that. Secondly, she had the backing of the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall, either locally or worse. There was no way for Huang Si to fight against such an entity. However, could they really help Huang Cixi indefinitely? But then, could she resist indefinitely herself either?
If Huang Cixi was coming to her right after her duel, when she was in a favorable position, that was certainly to ask for something. Thus, Huang Si calmed down and took a seat at the desk, facing her.
"Sister, I won't lie. My business is indeed in a dire condition. However, this is nothing that can't be built back up. It took me around fifteen years to create and strengthen my network. I can wait a few decades to completely rebuild it. But, Sister, are you implying that you know what is going on with it? Do you have an idea on how to manage the situation?"
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Huang Cixi smiled brightly and put the documents she was playing with back on the desk.
"Sister, I was worried for you. After all, I never even met you in passing. So I asked some good friends of mine to see what was going on. Unfortunately my worries were to be true... Such a pity for our Huang family if even a woman as talented as you is burdened by these problems.
"Indeed, I have a solution that I came to suggest to you. I heard many rumors that you were vying for the role of matriarch. Really, there is no way you can preserve both your business and your network while fighting for such a position. The stress would be way too intense. Sister, think about it. You say that you're ready to wait. But if someone is specifically targeting you, why would they ever stop? With all the assets necessary to overtake your business combined with those they will gain by overtaking your business, they can completely destroy all your hopes. But if you were to put all your efforts on fighting it, you would have a chance to stop or even reverse what happened."
Both women knew obviously precisely what they were talking about. However, it was always a good idea to never say anything explicit. Until the very end, both Huang Cixi and Huang Si would deny their involvement in such stratagems.
"But, Sister, even if I were to shut down those rumors, nothing could assure me that I could fight off this situation successfully. In fact, if my competitor were to gain a great amount of influence all of a sudden, they could completely annihilate me. Unfortunately, I have not a great position in our Huang family. I fear that I might be forced to even leave Baziyun City..."
"Sister, do not worry about that. Our family will always need a talent such as you. I know that those rumors about you wanting to take over after Matriarch Huang Yufeng are baseless. After all, with your competence in economy, that would be an hindrance to your talents. Shall I remind you that the matriarch is not as free in those matters as you might think? Even Governor Leng or anyone from the Imperial City would try and stop the matriarch if she were to build too strong of a network. However, the elders are a bit more free. And they do not need to think about politics so much."
"Sister, what you say may sound true. But the elders are also restrained. Furthermore, I'm still a bit too young to join the ranks of the elders."
"Don't sell you short, Sister. I am sure that you could find someone who would be your proxy until you reach the requirements."
Technically, an elder was not necessarily old. What was required for someone to become an elder was to at least be a Spirit Warrior. Then, whether they were recognized as an elder of the main family depended on their achievements for the Huang family.
"And you forgot that the first elder is almost as influential as the matriarch. The first elder could take care of his business with little to no restraint. And even in our Huang family, the first elder is almost as powerful as the matriarch. If you allow me to be bold, I do think that Sister Huang Si would be a perfect first elder."
The first elder was an informal position among the elders. In the Huang family, three powers were always balancing each other out. The matriarch was the most powerful member of the family, but she still had to account for her actions and decisions to the elders and the family head. The family head was chosen by the matriarch and validated by the elders assembled as a committee. This committee was always lead by the same elder, the one called the first elder. Besides being able to veto the choice of the family head, the committee also had a few more powers, especially some powers to control the matriarch's actions.
Of course, most of the time, all these powers were in agreement. But this prevented a single person to bring the Huang family down. If, by a cruel twist of fate, the matriarch were to die for example, the family would need to still be organized. But worse, if she were to be incompetent, no one could replace the matriarch. Hence, the two other powers could still manage the family against her.
Right now, the first elder was Elder Huang Jian.
"Ha ha ha. Sister, you're very funny. Elder Huang Jian will never lose his position. I won't deny that such a seat would be great, but..."
"Do not be so sure. I heard that Elder Huang Jian is going to retire very soon. The situation is still a bit too chaotic with the stampede looming over our heads. But Elder Huang Jian will not stay an elder for very long. In less than a year, he will join our side branch in the Sunmen Province alongside Sister Huang Lü. It should be a great opportunity for them both, don't you think?"
Hearing the news, Huang Si's mind was in turmoil. If what Huang Cixi was saying was true, it meant that she was trying to negotiate the position of matriarch against the position of first elder. Huang Si had enough support within the elders. If she were to become one herself, she would have no problem to be elected as the first elder and maintain her position for a very long time.
Unlike the matriarch, the positions of family head and first elder, or even merely elder, were all revocable. The family head could be revoked by the matriarch, either from her own volition or after being pressured by the elders. On the other hand, the elders could be revoked if they violated the rules of the family. And the first elder was an informal position. If a majority of elders were to favor someone else, he would become the new first elder.
Hence, Huang Si was more interested in the only stable position. But she had to admit that becoming the first elder could also be a great alternative.
"Sister, you should carefully think about this. I fear that your competitor might soon target your possessions in the Subei Province."
"You..." Huang Si finally lost her composure and stood up all of a sudden. Faced with the serenity of Huang Cixi, she calmed down. "How do you know about the Subei Province?"
Huang Cixi simply smiled and left. "Sister, I told you. I was worried about you. You should truly think about my suggestions. You would be a great first elder, I'm sure of it."
After Huang Cixi had left the room, Cai Ying entered back in and closed the door behind her. What she saw was her young mistress slumped in her chair.
With Hall Master Fang and Ye Zhiyun, Huang Cixi had easily found out about all the assets of Huang Si. The Subei Province was the place in which she had invested the most. It was a very remote province, extremely poor because of past attacks from demons. Almost nothing grew there and it was mostly a military province. However, Huang Si had found great deposits of various ores deep underground. Thus, she had invested a huge part of her benefits to buy the ownership of many lands. Moreover, she had invested in several mining and blacksmithing companies.
Huang Si had done so in the utmost secret. What was below the Subei Province was almost as valuable as the Xiliang Mines. The big difference was that no one had found those deposits yet, so they would not run out as fast as the Xiliang Mines. In fact, they could replace the Xiliang Mines for the Huang family over time.
Huang Si knew that she couldn't fight Huang Cixi in both the Subei Province and the other provinces. If they were to keep fighting over those assets, Huang Si would lose them and they would help Huang Cixi become the next matriarch. Maybe becoming the first elder was a viable option...