“This is my fiftieth birthday, all you clan leaders and masters must honor me with your presence!”

In the dim light, Liu Cheng’en smiled menacingly at the representatives of the Eight Great Families before him, saying sinisterly, “If anyone tries to ruin my birthday, I won’t let them have a good time either!”

“The Eight Great Merchants and all noble families, landlords must have the family head present, or if not, the eldest son or grandson, let’s make it a lively occasion, hahaha…”

“Go now, and deliver my words!”

“Yes… Yes!”

The representatives of the Eight Great Bing Merchants were so frightened that they trembled and quickly withdrew, taking Liu Cheng’en’s words back to their respective masters.

They were merely errand runners; all decisions were still made by their family heads.

When the Eight Great Bing Merchants received the words brought back by their subordinates, those with a temper immediately flew into a rage, smashing all the antique vases in their homes.

Those with a better temper still rolled their eyes in anger and convened the family core for a meeting.

In their view, Liu Cheng’en’s actions were still about wanting money!

Even two hundred thousand silver taels couldn’t satisfy this old eunuch’s appetite.

Is he not afraid that the court officials will impeach him?

Soon, the Eight Great Bing Merchants exerted all their strength and contacted the court officials.

A third of the court officials were persuaded, and numerous memorials flew towards the Cabinet like rain.

Even two of the five Cabinet Ministers kept requesting an audience with Your Majesty.

Unfortunately, they were all blocked by the people of the Ritual Department.

Your Majesty is practicing Immortal Technique and refuses to see anyone!

With no other choice, the news returned to the Bing Merchants.

Some even directly named, suggesting they pay for peace.

This old eunuch Liu Cheng’en had suffered a lifetime of grievances in the Imperial Palace, so now that he finally managed to leave the palace for official duties, wouldn’t he seize the opportunity to extort as much as possible?

Being targeted by him is simply bad luck for you.

Moreover, Liu Cheng’en is favored by Your Majesty, who is currently inaccessible, hence his audacity.

When the news reached Bingzhou, the Eight Great Merchants of Bingzhou were speechless and could only gather together in resignation.

That day, the Eight Great Merchants of Bingzhou sent their primary figures to gather at the Wang Family of Datong.

The Wang Family, being one of the noble families and the head of the Eight Great Bing Merchants of Bingzhou, occupied nearly one-third of the Datong County City, with thousands of interconnected houses, thriving immensely.

There’s a ballad that humorously says: The East Sea lacks jade beds, the Dragon King invites the Wang Family of Datong; their halls are made of jade, their horses of gold, pearls and brocades serve as footrests.

It shows that their wealth is abundant, as rich as a nation!

“The Third Uncle in court sent news that Your Majesty refuses to see anyone, and those damned eunuchs of the Ritual Department still keep the memorials in the dark, ignoring us completely!”

In the Wang Family Ancestral Hall, more than a dozen old men and middle-aged men sat together discussing something, their tone very intense.

“Your Majesty is foolish! Why practice Immortal Cultivation at such a young age? It’s made him muddle-headed, allowing a group of eunuchs to ride on the heads of court officials!”

“The most damnable are those who flatter and fawn, daring to challenge the Cabinet alongside the Ritual Department!”

“The Eunuch Faction! These damned eunuchs!”

“Sigh, no matter what, today we must discuss and come up with a plan…”

“Old Master Wang, what do you think…?”

The other heads of the Eight Great Bing Merchants all looked towards the leading old man.

The leading old man was full of gray hair and wrinkles, but his eyes were exceedingly profound.

He said calmly, “What is there to fear, it’s just an old eunuch.”

“What about the Eunuch Faction? This world still belongs to our noble families!”

“Old Master Wang is wise!”

The many heads of families immediately bowed their hands in agreement.

The Old Master Wang in front of them was none other than the Ancestor of the Wang Family of Datong, Wang Zhonghe!

Wang Ze, one of the Cabinet Ministers, was precisely his third son.

And another Cabinet Minister, Wang He, was his nephew.

It can be said that a single Wang Family occupied two seats in the Cabinet.

Wang Zhonghe said, “Does he not want money? Two million isn’t enough? Then one million, if one million isn’t enough, then two million!”

“Could it be that you all can’t afford this meager amount?”

Everyone remained silent, soon Qiao Zhiguang stood up and said, “Old Master Wang, in good health, you’re right. We Eight Great Families indeed do not lack money, and any one of us could come up with twenty million.”

“However… this isn’t how things should be done!”

“Liu Cheng’en comes once and squeezes millions of silver taels from us, what about the future?”

“This time it’s Liu Cheng’en, next time it might be Zhang Cheng’en, or Li Cheng’en.”

“And what’s to stop them from asking for twice or thrice that amount next time?”

“Even if our family is running a bank, we can’t produce so much money!”

“Yes, yes…”

As soon as Qiao Zhiguang finished speaking, it immediately resonated with those around him.

“Master Qiao is right, that’s exactly the issue.”

“Paying out a million each time, we cannot sustain it!”

“And if it’s cash, we have to transfer it from the banks, which is very troublesome…”

“Clatter, clatter, clatter…”

Wang Zhonghe tapped the ground with his cane and said, “Why the rush? What’s the panic, he’s not gone yet!”

“Your concerns aren’t unfounded, but I have my own way of dealing with it.”

“This time on his fiftieth birthday, I’ll join in the fun and contribute a sum of money.”

“Once he’s gone, let those bandits and mountain thieves you’ve been raising come out and make some noise, let them join forces with those peasants and stir things up.”

“Don’t tell me you don’t know them, think I’m blind at this age?”

“Just say, the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Secretariat Liu Cheng’en has extorted the people’s fat and marrow in Bingzhou, causing a rebellion, aiming their weapons directly at that eunuch!”

“By then, the court officials would be outraged, even Your Majesty wouldn’t be able to cultivate peacefully and be forced to handle this matter.”

“The best outcome would be executing Liu Cheng’en to quell the anger, and even if he doesn’t die, he’d be reprimanded by Your Majesty and distanced from him.”

“Then, we can take revenge as we please!”

“Great, great, great! That’s a brilliant idea!”

“No wonder he’s Old Master Wang, truly cunning… oh, I mean, full of wisdom and strategy!”

“Then shall we proceed with this plan?”

“Yes!”

“For Liu Cheng’en’s fiftieth birthday, I will also present a grand gift, hahaha…!”

“Let’s go together…!”

The Eight Great Bing Merchants laughed heartily, even contemplating what gift to give Liu Cheng’en that would display their “generosity.”

Soon, Liu Cheng’en’s fiftieth birthday arrived as expected.

He reserved the entire Phoenix Pavilion, inviting many wealthy merchants and noble families from Bingzhou.

The guards at the Phoenix Pavilion were quietly replaced with some New Army and Embroidered Uniform Guards, constantly monitoring the guests coming and going.

As night fell, the whole Phoenix Pavilion was brightly lit.

Hundreds of large lanterns illuminated the Phoenix Pavilion, making it look more like a phoenix spreading its wings.

Liu Cheng’en sat grandly in the main seat on the top floor of the Phoenix Pavilion, looking out at Datong City, his thoughts unknown.

“What a Wang Family in Datong, almost the entire Datong County bears the surname Wang, along with half of Bingzhou. Tsk, tsk, as expected from the leading noble family of Bingzhou…”

At this moment, an emcee downstairs announced loudly: “A guest has arrived!”

“Wang Zhonghe from the Datong Wang Family, wishing Eunuch Liu Cheng’en longevity like the pine and crane, and eternal youth!”

“Gift: A pair of Jadeite White Jade Lotus Roots!”

Liu Cheng’en stood up and personally went down to greet him.

Wang Zhonghe, head of the Bingzhou Wang Family, had stepped down from being the Patriarch more than thirty years ago and was now eighty-six years old, an elder indeed.

His three sons and nephews, along with many younger family members, held official positions within the court.

They included two second-rank officials, four third and fourth-rank officials, and countless officials below the fifth rank.

Even Liu Cheng’en had to show respect at this moment.

“Qiao Zhiguang from the Qii County Qiao Family, wishing Eunuch Liu Cheng’en blessings as vast as the East Sea, and longevity like South Mountain!”

“Gift: A Golden Monkey Offering Longevity statue!”

“Chang Ling from the Yuxiar County Chang Family, wishing Eunuch Liu Cheng’en a rise to prominence and dual blessings of fortune and longevity!”

“Gift: A Blood Jade Coral sculpture!”

“Meng Yannian from the Taigu County Meng Family, wishing Liu Cheng’en auspicious stars overhead and eternal South Mountain longevity!”

“Gift: A Pearl Hundred Longevity Painting!”

“Marquis Xiu Yongdou, wishing Liu Cheng’en…”

One after another, representatives of the Bingzhou Merchants came to present their gifts, with each having a dedicated usher to receive them.

And Eunuch Liu Cheng’en was responsible only for receiving individuals from the Wang Family, Qiao Family, and a few official noble families.

Those qualified to wish Liu Cheng’en a happy birthday were all key figures from each family.

If not the ancestor, it would be the family head or the family’s firstborn, exceptionally important individuals.

The gifts they presented were also carefully chosen, of extraordinary value.

For instance, the Jadeite White Jade Lotus Roots from the Wang Family were a pair of crystal-clear jade carvings, almost entirely transparent with a faint green hue, worth a fortune.

Then there was the Golden Monkey Offering Longevity statue from the Qiao Family, a golden monkey statue cast entirely from gold, of life-size and immense value.

The Blood Jade Coral from the Chang Family was a rare treasure mined from deep in the East Sea, possessing the remarkable power of detoxification, a holy medicine for martial artists.

The Pearl Hundred Longevity Painting from the Meng Family was a masterpiece assembled from large pearls, glittering in the light, exceptionally beautiful.

Of course, these were just the foremost gifts among those presented.

Other ordinary gifts were a large pile selected by the family’s servants and personally delivered to Liu Cheng’en’s military camp.

It could be said that each guest’s gift, if converted to silver, would be worth at least a million silver taels!

“Old Master Wang, your esteemed name precedes you!”

“Not at all, my son serves in the court alongside Eunuch Liu, we must support each other well.”

“Certainly…”

“Master Qiao, how is your health?”

“Great Yu needs enlightened gentry like all of you!”

“Rest assured, when I return to the Capital City, I will definitely report the meritorious deeds of you virtuous gentry to Your Majesty, who will surely be pleased.”

Under Liu Cheng’en’s personal supervision, the main representatives of the Eight Great Bing Merchants took their seats in the main area.

The attending younger generation, second and third sons, could only take seats at other tables.

Many people complimented Liu Cheng’en excessively, and he was receptive to anyone, engaging in conversation with each.

Quickly, after a few rounds of drinks and courses of dishes, Liu Cheng’en’s face was flushed red from the alcohol.

“Eunuch Liu, we commoners toast to you once more, our businesses need your continued support in the future…”

“Not at all, we are like family, we will certainly look out for each other!”

Liu Cheng’en downed another glass of fine wine, shook his head, and stood up, gesturing downward for silence.

“All of you, I have something to say.”

Though his voice was not loud, everyone present was perceptive and quickly quieted down.

“In the past two years, Great Yu has faced continuous natural and man-made disasters, and the people have lived in hardship, which deeply pains me!”

Many people secretly rolled their eyes, thinking, does a eunuch like you even know how to feel sympathy?

It’s laughable!

“However, it’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s divine governance, diligent and loving of the people, working tirelessly, that under the assistance of many wise ministers, the sources of corruption were rectified, refugees were pacified, and the Wu Country was driven back, restoring Great Yu’s clear skies!”

The moment he finished speaking, someone chimed in, “Long live His Majesty!”

“Long live His Majesty~!”

Many officials, noble families, and merchants quickly rose, shouting in unison.

At this moment, Qiao Maokang, the second son of the Qiao Family, suddenly stood up, ignoring his elder brother’s frantic tugs, and shamelessly said: “We are all aware of His Majesty’s great achievements. However, we have heard that the invincibility of our Great Yu Army is related to those new-style firearms…”

“Eunuch, might we have the honor of witnessing them?”

“Want to see the firearms?”

Liu Cheng’en’s eyes gleamed suddenly, saying, “Hahaha, no problem!”

“You are all loyal and righteous, come with me to the military camp to view the new-style firearms!”

“With these firearms, our Great Yu may endure a millennium and awe the world!”

“Everyone, please!”

“Eunuch, after you…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep