You're Strong But Now You're Mine -
Chapter 174 - 173: The First Mistake
Chapter 174: Chapter 173: The First Mistake
Jing Suke has been quite pleased with himself lately.
As the head of the ’Crownthorn’ tobacco industry, Jing Suke doesn’t need to scramble for money like other family members. With just a light touch, he can skim a fair amount of profit from the daily gold influx.
Not only does he have a villa in the inner city, but he also maintains eight concubines in the outer city. After all, his wife is a woman of the Zhou family, known for her fierceness, so he has to sneak around even to buy a concubine.
Tobacco and iron have always been the two major industries of the Jing Family, but the rise of the tobacco industry is quite legendary: previously, the Jing Family were merely rough-hewn mine owners who made money by extracting iron and coal. At that time, cigarettes were luxury goods enjoyed only by upper-middle-class people.
One day, the Patriarch of the Jing Family finished smoking and noticed a worker secretly picking up his cigarette butt for a few puffs, leading him to realize that the tobacco industry was definitely a vast market.
Thus, the Jing Family began investing in purchasing estates for tobacco cultivation, completely avoiding the high-end route, focusing instead on growing coarser, bulkier low-grade tobacco, and selling cheap cigarettes to workers.
Cheap cigarettes became popular among the lower class in Xuanzhu, a relief commodity much appreciated by the workers who lived stark lives devoid of material pleasure (listening to books provided only a spiritual enjoyment).
Originally, the Patriarch of the Jing Family only intended to use cigarettes to harvest his own workers’ wages, but unexpectedly, ’Crownthorn’ tobacco quickly grew and occupied the cigarette market at the bottom of Xuanzhu, gaining a substantial cash flow.
However, it seems mining is an inherent passion for the Jing Family. They reinvested the money to buy mines and produce iron, expanding the tobacco industry only when cash flow became insufficient, inadvertently becoming juggernauts in both the tobacco and iron industries.
There were indeed associations that tried to compete with the Jing Family for the lower-end tobacco market, but with plenty of coal and iron mines and numerous workers, the Jing Family mandated that their workers could only purchase their own ’Crownthorn’ cigarettes. Anyone attempting to bring cigarettes into factories to sell faced brutal beatings. Moreover, ’Crownthorn’ cigarettes were the cheapest—should any other association’s cigarettes be cheaper than ’Crownthorn,’ the Jing Family would stuff low-quality leaves into the cigarettes or even actual weeds to maintain the lowest cost and price in Dongyang.
Workers would curse about ’Crownthorn’ cigarettes becoming less fragrant, then take out money to send their children to buy a pack of ’Crownthorn’—other brands might be more fragrant, but ’Crownthorn’ is cheaper!
I just want a few puffs for kicks, no need for high-quality products, isn’t it better to save money for the kids to buy food?
Cheapness is king!
When other associations couldn’t compete with the Jing Family, ’Crownthorn’ became the preferred cigarette brand among the lower class of Xuanzhu. As productivity increased, the popularity of ’Crownthorn’ surged, with total sales gradually surpassing high-end cigarette brands, becoming the most lucrative industry chain for the Jing Family.
Of course, the strength of ’Crownthorn’ owes much to the protection provided by the steel industry. With mining comes the need for armed forces responsible for suppressing workers. With these armed forces, the Jing Family’s muscle was formidable—anyone daring to covet the Jing Family’s cash cows would be treated to the same fate as disobedient workers.
In Le Yu’s words, this is called merging hard and soft power; the tobacco industry is the outer strength, strong in the early stages, while the mining industry is the inner strength, stable in the later stages. Among the Eighty-Eight Associations, the Jing Family might not be the most battle-ready nor the wealthiest, but they are undeniably the most powerful in overall capability!
As the manager in charge of milking the Jing Family’s cash cow, Jing Suke naturally enjoys the trust of Jing Qingfu. Their bond can be summed up in one sentence: in those days, Jing Qingfu’s troublesome brothers were led astray with Jing Suke’s help.
Once Jing Qingfu became the Patriarch, those brothers either died at sea and were swallowed by waves, or perished in Xiangxue Sea, suspectedly due to explosive exhilaration. Regardless, their deaths were oddly mysterious, yet inevitably tied to this good-natured man who funded their indulgences—Jing Suke.
For however many years Jing Qingfu served as Patriarch, Jing Suke has overseen the ’Crownthorn’ tobacco industry for just as long, truly epitomizing the ideal lord-retainer relationship: "The lord treats me like a statesman, and I repay with my loyalty."
But long-standing friendships can’t withstand the passage of time, and emotions are like ripe fruits that fall to the ground; they are genuine, but eventually decay. When Jing Qingfu lay ill for a prolonged period, Jing Suke began contemplating his next path.
He never considered vying for the position of Patriarch; the Jing Family’s tradition of direct lineage succession has continued for a century, a practice that has proven effective—the enduring stability of the Jing Family is proof.
Traditions may not always be useful, but what is useful will inevitably become a tradition.
After much consideration, Jing Suke decided to pledge allegiance to Jing Main Hall. Unlike others who saw Jing Main Hall as a weak man, Jing Suke, as someone who had to sneak around to keep a mistress out of fear of his wife, understood it differently—truly weak men are weak outside and strong inside, for instance, those who beat their wives aren’t truly tough; men like them, who are soft at home fearing their wives, tend to be tougher outside!
Of course, the earning capability of the Jing Main Hall couple was the main reason Jing Suke opted to support them. Instead of choosing Jing Zhengwu, a ’weakened version of Jing Qingfu,’ as Patriarch, he’d rather back someone capable of leading everyone to greater fortune!
However, after Jing Zhengwu’s suicide and Jing Qingfu’s death, Jing Main Hall sought out his supporters, openly stating that he would fully support the new Patriarch, Jing Zhengwei, representing not the army, but rather the Patriarch, to urge them to behave obediently.
While anxiously awaiting the new Patriarch’s judgment, Jing Suke discovered that the new Patriarch was actually a gentle and affable person. Not only did he maintain the status quo of the Jing Family, but he also honored the commitments made by his brothers to their subordinates, encouraging everyone to feel free to wish for anything!
Jing Suke wasn’t naive; he was sure those clansmen with wild demands would become targets, so he made a modest wish: to obtain an Immunity Token.
If he ever made a mistake in the future, he could use this Immunity Token to avoid the Patriarch’s punishment.
This wish wasn’t about whether the new Patriarch would grant it, but rather about showing Jing Suke’s attitude: I’m really obedient, if I make a mistake, I’ll take the punishment, but I hope the Patriarch won’t hit too hard, boo hoo hoo.
Jing Suke used this exact method to appease his wife. That’s why, for so many years of his philandering, whenever his wife got mad, she’d just drag him home for a thorough beating; she wouldn’t disgrace him in front of outsiders.
When Half City was attacked, the Jing Family’s tobacco factory naturally burned down. However, since ’Crownthorn’ tobacco industry started early, there were still two or three factories in the outer city, so the impact was minimal, and it actually boosted ’Crownthorn’ cigarette sales—after all, other factories burned down.
Ssss—
Sitting in the office of the director of the First Tobacco Factory, Jing Suke lit a green paper cigarette, smoking happily while reading the newspaper. Green paper cigarettes were the highest-grade cigarettes from the Jing Family factories, non-sale items meant for gifts, made from excellent tobacco leaves transported from specific farms, with an unforgettable, satisfying, deep taste.
There were also two types: white paper cigarettes and orange paper cigarettes. White paper cigarettes used black tobacco leaves, cheap, ample, and easy to grow, with a sharp taste, but most laborers loved them, despite the significant harm to the body. Orange paper cigarettes added a bit of special flavoring on top of the white paper cigarettes, not only less harsh but also a bit sweet, specifically marketed to children.
Orange paper cigarettes could be said to be Jing Suke’s proudest achievement. The Jing Family had long only sold cigarettes to adult men, while he succeeded in selling to children!
If he could develop a cigarette marketed to women in his lifetime, he’d secure a spot on the Jing Family lineage chart.
The only issue was that his son had taken a liking to smoking orange paper cigarettes. Fortunately, he disciplined his son in time, then ordered the tobacco factory to produce some high-quality, non-harmful orange paper cigarettes for his son to smoke.
When he got the latest issue of "Youth Daily", Jing Suke naturally first looked at the cover.
Although he wasn’t young, seeing the cover of the Youth Daily felt like returning to that age of revival.
This month’s cover was strange; it showed only a scene with a desk, without any people.
Where’s the promised risqué art!?
However, upon closer inspection, Jing Suke discovered subtle clues.
The left page of the notebook had a crease, indicating where a fair leg might have rested;
The window directly in front of the desk was a fogged-up glass pane, and two beautiful handprints were clearly marked on it, evoking fantasies about the beauty of the owner of those handprints.
As he pondered, Jing Suke returned to his youth.
The so-called youth is when imagination suffices.
A risqué picture doesn’t need people to be risqué.
No wonder it’s the new Patriarch’s newspaper, Spirit has learned a lot.
Leisurely smoking and reading the newspaper, time flew by, and soon it was time to leave work. Because of the Youth Daily’s cover today, Spirit felt restless and planned to recreate the scene from the cover with his seventh concubine.
However, when Spirit walked out of the first cigarette factory, he found a familiar car parked outside.
The driver smiled and waved at him: "Uncle Spirit, come on up and sit for a while?"
"Absolutely not, absolutely not!" Spirit hurriedly walked over: "Why is it the Young Master driving? It’s killing me, let go of the steering wheel, let me do it, I’m an experienced driver."
"Alright, sit in the back, I have something to discuss with you," Lexie said with a smile.
Spirit obediently opened the back door, but there was already someone sitting in the rear seat—it was Yin Minghong.
Spirit was very wary of Yin Minghong, because this person was the Young Master’s confidant, allegedly brought from Red Moon Fortress to Xuanzhu County. A few days ago, when Yin Minghong came to inspect the cigarette factory, Spirit thought the Young Master wanted to hand over the factory to him, but it turned out to be a false alarm.
He was responsible for mining, how would he know how to manage cigarette production!
I’m so loyal to the Young Master, he will definitely continue to use me!
But why is the Young Master driving, and Yin Minghong sitting in the back?
Spirit sat inside with a hint of doubt and courteously said: "Whatever the Young Master orders, I have no objections and will accomplish it!"
Lexie started the car and said with a smile: "If everyone were as concerned about the family as you, Uncle Spirit, that would be great."
Spirit had been rolling and crawling for decades, naturally understanding that the Young Master was testing him, and immediately flattered: "After all, the old Patriarch has passed away not long ago, and everyone misses him, so maybe they’re not working very diligently. Spirit still has some face within the family; whoever disrespects the Young Master, I’ll immediately go scold them awake!"
"Thank you, Uncle Spirit," Lexie sighed: "But there’s no way to solve this matter, because everyone has their own little families and calculations, and no matter what is done, it’s hard to make them contribute to the Jing Family as a whole."
"Well..." Spirit put on a cautious and honest expression: "As the saying goes, we cannot build a big family without small ones. As long as the Young Master can benefit the small families of the clan members, they will naturally contribute to the whole family. The old Patriarch was very good in this regard; sometimes looking after the small families isn’t a bad thing, but it can drive clan members to strive for the family business."
"Indeed, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure; Uncle Spirit’s words I’ve taken to heart," Lexie said while steering around a corner: "However, I’m nothing like the previous Patriarch; I can’t learn those subtle power tactics."
"There’s still plenty of time, Young Master, you are so clever, you will definitely be able to learn," Spirit said.
Spirit sensed a vague unease but still couldn’t grasp where the danger was coming from.
"But I don’t have the patience; I have an urgent wish to fulfill and need to quickly seize control of the Jing Family," Lexie said: "So, I need to use some rather simple and direct methods."
"What methods?"
"For example, changing people."
Spirit felt his scalp go numb, and beside him, Yin Minghong’s hand unknowingly gripped his neck. It would only take a slight twist from him, and Spirit would be off to conduct ghostly businesses with Jing Qingfu!
"Wh-why me?" Spirit stuttered: "I am entirely loyal to you, Young Master! If anyone should be replaced, it should be those few troublemakers—"
"Precisely because they are troublemakers; if I change them, it would easily make others feel like I’m trying to remove disobedient elders," Lexie said: "But you’re different—when you’re gone and I frame you, others will believe it, because they think I would employ you, and if I don’t, it would only mean you had problems."
"How could—"
"People only believe what they want to believe. If I even target someone like you, isn’t it proof that I’m going to purge the entire Jing Family? Do you think they would rather believe this desperate guess or the reasonable comfort I offer them?"
Spirit trembled all over, "You... you wish to purge the Jing Family? But if we clan members are dead, who will you use—"
"Isn’t the person next to you human?"
Spirit looked at Yin Minghong, but this time his gaze was devoid of flattery and timidity, filled only with endless rage: "He is a lowly person! A servant! A subordinate! Jing Zhengwei, you are betraying the Jing Family, digging your own grave!"
Lexie: "All are humans, and they are the same in use, and since I promoted them, they will be more loyal to me than to you—"
"The others won’t agree!" Spirit shouted angrily: "Our family took a hundred years to accumulate the status we have, and now you want to give it to those lowly people? The Jing Family will oppose you, and the Silver Blood Association won’t support you either!"
"You still have time to stop now! You think those servants you promote will be loyal to you? Don’t dream about it! They are just a bunch of locusts who don’t even understand the rules! They are greedy, they are despicable, at least we fight for the family, and they will only find ways to collude and seize your property! Without us managing, do you think those workers would serve the Jing Family?"
Lexie did not answer but instead asked: "Second-in-command, what’s your opinion?"
Yin Minghong was slightly taken aback, only then realizing he was being addressed and respectfully said: "Young Master, I think Spirit is correct; indeed, many of the lower-class citizens are greedy and despicable."
Spirit looked at Yin Minghong in surprise, then immediately smiled — you got it right, kid.
"However, that’s only because of survival necessity. When they can’t even fill their stomachs, how could they ponder loyalty, ideals, moral principles? Yin Minghong changed his tone: "If Spirit were to switch places, I believe he would be greedier and more deceitful—in fact, over the years he has embezzled a lot of assets from the family! Compared to those he calls lowly people, he is the real expert in this!"
"You—"
"Besides, even for survival, many lower-class people emanate the brilliance of human nature, they are optimistic and positive, keeping promises and valuing trust, eager to learn and seek knowledge! They only remain at the lower level because lacking opportunity and education, but as long as they get a chance, they will not be worse than these maggots!"
"Entrusted by the Young Master, I, Yin Minghong, will absolutely excavate loyal pillars for the Jing Family and ensure that after clearing these stubborn remnants, the Jing Family will thrive and see daily progress!"
"Well said." Lexie chuckled, "Uncle Spirit, do you have anything else you’d like to say?"
Spirit realized that the car had unconsciously arrived at an abandoned warehouse, his heart dead, "I have nothing left to say. I didn’t do anything wrong, why is it like this..."
"No, you did make a mistake."
Lexie stopped the car, "Your first mistake was thinking that I would let you live long enough to commit a second mistake."
As Spirit’s neck was twisted off, he suddenly recalled Jing Qingfu’s evaluation of Jing Zhengwei during a meeting some time ago.
Cousin, Jing Zhengwei is indeed an overlord, but he is not the Jing Family’s overlord; rather, he is... his own overlord!
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