Hearing Lin Mu's words, Jingming Shang's eyes lit up.

"Of course, senior! You can leave it to me!" Jingming Shang said while thumping his chest.

'He really changed quickly upon hearing business, huh?' Lin Mu thought to himself.

"With the higher ups of the three clans gone, the remaining members of the clan would be unable to do much. The Hui clan is pretty much entirely gone, so they will be the easiest to take over." Jingming Shang spoke.

"About the Hui clan… it would be better to dismantle their businesses and free the bound laborers." Lin Mu spoke in a straight tone.

Jingming Shang immediately settled down and nodded his head.

"I'll free them and liquidate their assets. The public opinion about this is bad anyway and will bring misfortune to the business." Jingming Shang replied quickly.

Lin Mu nodded his head and spoke, "you can do what you want with the rest. Oh, and also use some of the assets gained from these clans to clear out the debt of Mu clan." 

"That's actually not a problem, senior as there is barely any debt left for the Mu clan, with the demise of the three clans.

About seventy percent of their debt was from the three clans, while the rest thirty percent is split among other lenders spread around the empire. We can just forget about the seventy percent debt and pay the remaining thirty." Jingming Shang replied.

"Oh? Is that so… well, it just makes it easier for us then." Lin Mu nodded his head.

Lin Mu had not expected to get another pleasant surprise out of killing the three clans. 

"What happened with joining the council in their task? Did you get that part sorted?" Lin Mu questioned, remembering the task Jingming Shang was given.

"Ah, yes. That went without a hitch. I just told Shantung that I did a little thinking and decided that this may be profitable in the long term. He accepted it right away and didn't really doubt me." Jingming Shang answered.

"Good… and what about Miss Fen?" Lin Mu questioned further.

"Hmm… Miss Fen has left the city for the time being and has gone to her clan. The Fen clan is located about a hundred kilometers to the south west." Jingming Shang answered. 

"Hmm, so there is a chance that she may come back after hearing what happened in the city?" Lin Mu questioned.

"I doubt it. If anything, there is a greater chance she may instead get her clan to seal up, till things settle down in the city. She will probably have the same conclusion that what happened to the Mu clan was repeating and that Gu Yao is making an example of the three clans." Jingming Shang speculated.

Lin Mu thought to himself for a bit before speaking.

"Keep tabs on her and inform me if anything happens. We may need to visit the Fen clan ourselves later… but that will come after we get the records that they need, sorted out." Lin Mu stated.

"Okay, senior. But does this mean you were able to get the Mu clan's inheritance?" Jingming Shang questioned feline curious.

"Yes, we did. All that's left is to sort through it and find the right record. Once that is done, we'll go meet the Fen clan." Lin Mu replied.

"And what do you want me to act like right now? Is there anything specific you want?" Jingming Shang questioned.

"Umm… just act as you were before I came here. We don't want the other merchant council members to think that you have any idea about what truly happened. Let them think that it was Gu Yao that did it and sow doubts." Lin Mu answered.

"I'll do as you say, senior. But I'm sure Shantung will be suspicious about this all and investigate all that happened till now. With his resources, there is a chance he might be able to find some clues." Jingming Shang spoke.

"He actually did something today… sent a few people to attack the Mu clan." Lin Mu replied.

"Huh? He did already? Didn't think he would be this impatient."  Jingming Shang replied.

"Hmm… we now know that he's probably being pressured by Gu Yao, or whoever is assigned to him right now. Gu Yao himself won't be the one giving orders and it should be someone below him." Lin Mu stated.

Jingming Shang nodded his head before speaking, "I'll get started then. Since the city is still in a panic, it's the right time to fish in the muddied waters." 

"Do what you feel is the best. Inform me if something comes up. I'll be at the Mu clan in the meantime, Jing Luo is there as well." Lin Mu informed before disappearing.

Once Lin Mu was gone, Jingming Shang smiled to himself and laughed to himself.

"Never expected, I'll get to see the fall of the merchant council like this." Jingming Shang said while laughing.

***

Lin Mu did another scan of the city while observing to see what was happening. The guards were still running around trying to control the situation, while the commoners had mixed reactions.

Most of them were now hiding within their houses even if they were happy about the situations as the guards would arrest them for 'spreading rumors'. It was night time anyway and thus most of the workers were getting off work now.

Only a few that worked on the night boats were still out at the port. The night boats would go out for the fish that came out only at night. Plus, there were some trade ships that would come to the port at night and stay there to unload their goods.

But it was obvious tonight they were not going to get much work done.

Having observed enough, Lin Mu went to the building of the merchant council and found it to be empty as well. No servants could be seen there, either.

"Hmm… seems like this is enough to keep them in fear for a while. Our work starts now…" 

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