Wealthy beyond measure, yet you call me a sister-supporting-brother demon?

"It's like a tiger fallen into the plains being bullied by dogs! We actually have to go to the door to apologize to a little brat." Liu Tianchao was furious just thinking about it!

Shen Fanxing advised, "A true man should be able to bend and stretch; we should hurry up and seize the initiative."

"Sigh!" Liu Tianchao sighed and went to the storeroom to prepare a gift for Yuansheng.

In addition to a fine inkstone, a fine Huzhou brush, a top-quality Huizhou ink, there is also a piece of Taihu Yun brocade.

An inch of brocade is worth an inch of gold. This 42-foot-long brocade will take three years and six months to make.

Even the most favored concubines in the palace only received one or two bolts of silk as a reward each year.

Liu Tianchao took out the brocade, his teeth aching, but he had no choice but to submit. If Yuansheng didn't allocate the cotton cloth to him, his brother-in-law wouldn't be able to obtain the improved technology from Yuansheng's manufacturing plant. Not only would he miss this opportunity to make a fortune, but his business would also suffer a severe blow.

With that thought in mind, Liu Tianchao gritted his teeth and added the Taihu Yun brocade to the gift list.

The next day, Liu Tianchao and Shen Fanxing arrived at Shigu Academy early to pay their respects to Yuan Sheng.

The gatekeeper of Shigu Academy had already received orders from the headmaster to prevent those shady characters from disturbing Yuansheng's studies, so he directly stopped the two of them.

Liu Tianchao was furious. How could he, the head of the cloth shop, be barred from even entering the gate today?!

The steward quickly went down to communicate with the gatekeeper and gave him a generous reward.

The gatekeeper patted his purse, which contained several taels of silver, and his tone softened instantly. "I'll go and inform him, but I can't guarantee whether Young Master Yuan will invite you in."

The butler smiled and said, "Of course."

The gatekeeper then turned and went into the academy to report the news.

Yuan Sheng was reading when Xu Jiang came in and said, "Young Master, the gatekeeper just reported that there are two friendly-looking cloth merchants at the gate. Would you like to see them?"

"Please let them in." Yuan Sheng was prepared to give them fifteen minutes. After all, Zhang Wenmao had explained at the press conference that some fabric merchants wanted to attend the conference but were threatened by the head of the industry. He was willing to give these people fifteen minutes.

When Liu Tianchao heard the gatekeeper say that Yuansheng invited them in, his depressed mood improved a little, and a sincere smile immediately appeared on his face.

The two greeted Yuan Sheng warmly upon seeing him.

"Oh my! This is Mr. Yuan? What a young talent! Not only is he good at studying at such a young age, but he also has such a good business sense!" Liu Tianchao smiled kindly and spoke sincerely, as if every word of praise came from the bottom of his heart.

Shen Fanxing exclaimed excitedly, "I never imagined that the owner of the Yuan family's textile factory would be so young and handsome! Truly, heroes emerge from among the young!"

In response to their goodwill, Yuan Sheng raised his hand in greeting.

Liu Tianchao and Shen Fanxing were overjoyed; there was hope for them to get goods from Yuansheng!

"Please have a seat, you two who have come from afar."

Xu Yang served tea to the two of them.

Yuan Sheng picked up his teacup and asked, "May I ask who you two are?"

Liu Tianchao, who was over forty years old, stood up and bowed. "My name is Liu Tianchao. I own several cloth merchants in Jizhou. I have heard that the Yuan family's weaving factory has a wide variety of cotton cloth at good prices. Today, I have come to pay my respects to Young Master Yuan and ask you to approve some of my goods."

The butler, with great insight, handed the four gifts prepared by Liu Tianchao to Xu Yang.

Liu Tianchao's posture was quite humble.

"Oh, so it's Master Liu, the head of the cloth merchants in Jizhou." Yuan Sheng's expression remained unchanged, but he didn't let Xu Yang accept the gift from Master Liu's steward.

If it were any other cloth merchant, Yuansheng would consider supplying him. Although he couldn't open cloth shops all over Daqian, especially outside the sphere of influence of the Jinji Party, he would be more than happy if a merchant was willing to wholesale cloth to the whole country.

But Liu Tianchao is an exception.

This person is arrogant and domineering, and he bullies the market. If he continues to grow his power, countless small business owners will suffer in the future.

"And you?" Yuan Sheng asked the tall, thin man sitting to his right.

Shen Fanxing quickly stood up and humbly introduced himself: "Master Yuan, my name is Shen Fanxing. I own several cloth shops. I have heard that the cotton cloth from Yuan's Weaving Factory is of good quality and high price, so I am here to make a special request."

"So it was Mr. Shen."

Yuan Sheng had also heard of this person; he bullied small cloth merchants along with Liu Tianchao.

During this clearance sale, the two men pocketed the lion's share of the fabrics sold off by the small merchants.

Yuan Sheng took a sip of tea. "My apologies, gentlemen. Our production capacity is limited. At the Yuan Family Fabric Store press conference, other fabric merchants placed orders that are already booked until next year."

Liu Tianchao's sincere smile froze for a moment, then returned.

Is Yuansheng subtly implying that they're upset because they didn't attend the press conference?

"Mr. Yuan, with such high-quality and affordable fabrics from Yuan's Weaving Factory, it's no wonder business is booming. I'd appreciate it if you could help me with some arrangements. Please feel free to make any requests, whether it's wholesale prices or anything else; everything is negotiable," Liu Tianchao said with an even more humble attitude.

Shen Fanxing chimed in, "Yes, yes, Mr. Yuan, everything can be discussed. We were wrong not to attend the press conference immediately. If you feel you can't get over it, feel free to hit us."

Shen Fanxing's butler handed over the rattan cane, saying, "Master Yuan, we have come to apologize with thorns on our backs. Please give us this chance."

Liu Tianchao said, "Master Yuan, we made a mistake and we accept the punishment. We hope you can forgive us. If you can't get over it, feel free to hit us."

The two men pretended to kneel down so that Yuan Sheng could whip them.

Yuan Sheng gave Xu Yang a wink, then he helped Shen Fanxing up while Xu Yang helped Liu Tianchao up.

Yuan Sheng said sincerely, "You two are really too kind to me. In business, it's inevitable that we make mistakes in judgment. I'm not angry that you didn't attend the Yuan family's fabric launch."

"We've already received deposits from those cloth merchants and signed purchase contracts with them. If we can't deliver the goods by the due date, we'll have to pay compensation. I really can't help you with that."

Yuan Sheng was very humble and kind, and seemed to have no grudges at all.

Liu Tianchao and Shen Fanxing exchanged a glance. This boy was only seventeen years old, but he was actually a tough nut to crack. If you didn't look at his face and only judged by his words and actions, you would think he was a seasoned veteran.

This trip today was probably a waste of time.

Liu Tianchao said, "Master Yuan is indeed magnanimous. Although we cannot cooperate today, I believe we can cooperate another day. Please accept the small gifts we brought."

“Master Yuan, if you think highly of us, please accept our small gift,” Shen Fanxing echoed.

If Yuansheng sees their gift and receives their sincerity, perhaps they will change their minds.

Yuan Sheng declined again, saying, "As the saying goes, one should not accept a gift without merit. The Yuan family's textile factory is already full of orders, and I really cannot arrange for goods to be delivered to you. I cannot accept this gift."

“Master Yuan, you have misunderstood. We two have come to your door today simply to make your acquaintance. Please be sure to accept our gifts.”

After saying that, Liu Tianchao and Shen Fanxing ran away, and Xu Yang chased after them to return the gift.