Unified Boycott

The Ma Family father and son made a prompt decision: for the sake of the mayoral position, they would break their contract with Arthur Evans.

Knowing they were in the wrong, Mr. Ma and Martin Ma felt too ashamed to face Arthur Evans directly, and didn't know how to broach the subject. So they wrote a letter, sending the steward with both the letter and gifts to Arthur Evans.

At this time, Arthur Evans was staying at the largest and most luxurious inn in Kingston, anxiously waiting for the last batch of goods to arrive in five days so he could personally escort them back to Charleston. When he heard the Ma Family's steward had arrived, he took it very seriously and went out to greet him himself.

"Ma Steward, welcome! Haha, please have a seat!" Arthur Evans greeted Ma Steward warmly and politely.

Seeing Arthur Evans so friendly and enthusiastic, Ma Steward felt even more uneasy about his purpose, but refused to sit, remaining standing with a troubled expression. "Mr. Evans, I'm here at my master's request to discuss something with you."

"Oh? What is it?" Arthur Evans noticed Ma Steward's uneasy face and his heart sank. "Don't tell me there's a problem with the final batch of goods? Didn't we agree you'd deliver on time? I've bought porcelain from the Ma Family several times—I'm a loyal customer. Please, you must give my goods special attention. I can't afford any delays!"

Ma Steward felt even more guilty hearing Arthur Evans say this, but as a mere servant, he had no choice. He presented the letter and gifts, bowing deeply. "Mr. Evans, I'm just the messenger. You'll understand once you read this."

Arthur Evans quickly opened the letter, and his expression changed instantly!

"What? You're breaking the contract? What is this!? Our cooperation has been going so well, and I always pay on time. How can you just break the contract like this? There are only five days left until delivery—if you refuse to supply the goods now, how am I supposed to get them in time? Are you deliberately making things difficult for me?" Arthur Evans exclaimed anxiously.

Ma Steward hurriedly apologized, saying, "I'm just following orders—I can't decide anything myself! Here is the compensation and the penalty for breach of contract, not a penny less. Please accept it, Mr. Evans. The Ma Family truly cannot supply this batch of goods. You'll have to find someone else."

After Ma Steward finished speaking, he had the gifts set down and left immediately.

Arthur Evans was both angry and anxious. He chased after Ma Steward to demand an explanation, but the steward claimed to know nothing. Arthur Evans said he would go ask Mr. Ma himself, but the steward replied that both Mr. Ma and Martin Ma were out and couldn't be seen.

Arthur Evans refused to give up and went to the Ma Family to confront them, but no matter how loudly he knocked, the Ma Family kept their doors tightly shut and ignored him.

This made Arthur Evans so furious he was practically steaming.

He had messed up the task Lily Evans gave him!

If this batch of porcelain couldn't be delivered on time, it would ruin everything! A single ocean voyage took half a year, and missing several shipments would mean losing a fortune in silver!

Arthur Evans knew how serious this was. He immediately wrote a letter to Lily Evans explaining the situation, and sent it to Charleston by express courier, hoping it would arrive within a day.

Meanwhile, Arthur Evans stayed in Kingston, waiting for Lily Evans's reply and searching for other solutions.

Sending a message and getting a reply would take two days. During those two days, Arthur Evans anxiously paced around Kingston, asking everywhere if anyone could partner with him to supply porcelain.

But to Arthur Evans's surprise, every other porcelain merchant in Kingston gave him the same answer: they wouldn't sell to him!

If only the Ma Family had suddenly broken the contract, it might have been a fluke. But when nearly every merchant was united in refusing to do business with him, there had to be more to the story!

This made the sharp-witted Arthur Evans realize something was off.