Late at night, Princess Cheng's son-in-law's residence.
Since the founding of the Wu Dynasty, the Zhou Imperial Family had branched out, and now, they had become rather prosperous. However, due to the strict management of the royal family, there were many royal relatives, but not many who were put in an important position in the military. Among them, the son-in-law was the most awkward title.
However, although there was more than one person with the status of Prince Consort living in Jiangning, the status of Princess Cheng's Prince Consort was different. Generally speaking, although the status of a princess was noble, the person who was willing to be the Prince Consort was not a very capable person. However, Kang Xian's status was that of a great scholar of the current era, and he had real talent in the field of literature. Most importantly, their seniority was higher than that of most members of the royal family.
Usually, the emperor's daughters were called princesses, and his sisters were called elder princesses. As the emperor's aunt, Princess Cheng, Zhou Xuan, now had the title of great elder princess. It was big and long, and it sounded very impressive. Not many people knew how the talented Kang Xian had become the son-in-law, and the people involved had probably already forgotten about it. In short, the astute and powerful great elder princess Zhou Xuan and the talented son-in-law Kang Xian were at the age of retirement, and they seemed to be living a leisurely life. However, in reality, they had unimaginable wealth and businesses under their control. If they were to show it to the public, it would be enough to make everyone speechless.
Of course, smart people knew how to play safe. In the Jiangning region, Princess Cheng's influence was basically not involved in many major events, and the businesses under her control were just quietly making a fortune. Because of this, many of the royal relatives were more willing to get close to them. That afternoon, Prince Kang, Zhou Yong, had brought his children and many other scholars for tea, and then he came to visit.
It was already past dinner time, and Zhou Yong was chatting with his aunt in the courtyard. Just now, his children and Kang Xian were also here, but Xiao Pei and Junwu often came here, so they couldn't stay idle. They dragged Kang Xian to the treasure pavilion of the son-in-law's residence. Zhou Yong didn't come to the son-in-law's residence often, but he had been very close to his aunt, Eldest Princess Zhou Xuan, when they were young. After chatting for a while, he left the courtyard and saw Kang Xian near the garden. As for his children, they were nowhere to be seen.
Zhou Yong had always been respectful to Kang Xian. At this time, the two talked to each other and went to the garden to enjoy the shade. After some trivial matters, Zhou Yong casually mentioned what happened this afternoon. "Today, Xiao Pei and Junwu were at the Fragrant Warmth Teahouse. When we were traveling with some scholars, we saw someone that uncle mentioned before …"
He told the whole story, including Liu Qingdi's appearance, and his attitude when he said those words. "Oh, it's not easy to get the title of the number one scholar. Liu Qingdi seems to be open-minded, and keeps saying that Ning Yi has amazing talent. In fact, I'm afraid he's jealous and wants to cause trouble. These words are not true, but later on, it seems that many people know about this. As for that Ning Liheng, uncle said a few days ago that Xiao Pei and Junwu should worship him as their teacher. I want to meet him, but I don't know if uncle knows about the matter of the Su and Wu families' cloth merchants. "
The two sat down in the pavilion. After Zhou Yong said these words, Kang Xian was already laughing. In reality, if one said that Zhou Yong was very concerned about this matter, Kang Xian naturally didn't believe it. Perhaps Kang Xian had done more to discipline Xiao Pei and Junwu. Previously, when he said that the two children should worship the number one scholar of Jiangning as their teacher, the other side just nodded casually. After all, it was the number one scholar, and it was Kang Xian who said it, so it couldn't be wrong. Zhou Yong's attitude was that if Ning Yi wanted to be worshipped, he could come at any time. As for how Ning Yi was, in any case, it was Kang Xian who checked. But perhaps it was because of what he saw and heard today that he was a little more concerned.
The people of the Imperial Family still cared about doing things in their bones.
"Haha, I also asked Liheng about a similar question a month ago. At that time, the Su family and the Wu family's fight for the throne caused a ruckus, and the dust had just settled. In the end, the Su family was tricked, and he even angrily wrote the poem 'Drinking Wine and Pei Di' in front of others. I originally thought that he was angry, and if the matter couldn't be resolved, he would at least come to me for help. I waited at home for a few days, and then met him at the old Qin family. At this time, his face was full of worries, and he was absent-minded when playing chess, but he just didn't open his mouth to ask for help. It really made me angry …"
"If that's the case, then he does have a bit of arrogance." Zhou Yong nodded. "But uncle, are you familiar with this Ning Yi? And … Elder Qin? "
He thought of Ning Yi's appearance. He was only in his early twenties, really young. At first, he thought that uncle only recognized his talent, but now that he heard it, he felt that their friendship was not ordinary.
"Haha, we were originally chess friends, so we didn't have much to do. But later, Liheng helped a lot. Tsk, many people benefited from it." Kang Xian nodded solemnly, and then laughed. "But later, I found out that it wasn't arrogance. Ha, I told him that day that you and I are such friends. Do I have to be so cautious when I ask for help? This matter involves his reputation, and to the Su family, it also has a great impact. I originally decided to help him settle this once, but who knew that he would say something afterwards, making it difficult for me to mention this matter for more than a month. Haha … "
He felt that it was interesting, and laughed happily. Zhou Yong frowned. "A sentence?"
"Ha, that cloth will fade."
Kang Xian shook his head. These simple words floated in the vicinity of the pavilion. Zhou Yong's expression seemed to be a little doubtful. For a moment, the surroundings fell silent. After a long while, he finally digested the meaning of these words and reacted, "Ah?"
*****
While the conversation was going on in the Prince Consort's Mansion, in the main hall of the Wu Family, a quarrel and discussion was taking place. The servants guarded this area from afar. Occasionally, they would look back and see figures moving, but they couldn't understand what was going on. At this moment, in the room where the people who decided the fate of the whole Wu Family gathered, all kinds of strange atmosphere that had never existed before floated and pervaded. Everyone's emotions were different from the past. Anger, astonishment, fear, absurdity, and even mixed with the occasional hysteria.
"No matter what, one-third of the matter is impossible … Ridiculous, such a thing has never happened before!"
The quarrel had been going on for a while. At first, when Wu Qilong finished speaking, everyone was silent for a long time. Then, they began to discuss the absurdity of the situation. Even in the business world known for its greed, this kind of thing rarely happened. One merchant openly told another merchant to give him one-third of the family's assets. At first, this kind of thing didn't even sound like it was worth discussing. However, when the atmosphere gradually settled down, when they understood from the expressions of Wu Cheng Hou and the others that the situation wasn't a joke, and when time gave them time to think, they could sort out their thoughts and consider the seriousness of the matter.
"Give them one-third? And then use one-third or even half of the family's assets to organize activities? What will become of the Wu Family then? We … Even if we die, how can we face the ancestors of the Wu Family? They spent so much effort to save up the family assets! The title of the number one cloth merchant in Jiangning … "Wu Cheng Luo, who was in charge of matters around Hezhou, shook his head." It's just a fading reputation. I don't believe it will reach the point of confiscating the family's assets! As long as there are more activities and more connections, the Wu Family may not be unable to withstand this! "
"Everyone pushes a wall when it's down, Old Seven," Wu Cheng Yuan said.
On the other side, Wu Cheng Ke's face was ashen. "Give them one-third, then lose half or one-third. In the future, they will give up their market share and only be imperial merchants. That's what the Su family thinks. After this incident, if it wasn't like this, do you think the Su family would give up so easily? "
"You also said that the Su family won't give up so easily. Who knows if they'll secretly leak information behind our backs or set us up!"
"It takes time for them to eat, not to mention … this is better for their reputation …"
"It's better for our family's reputation if they didn't kill us?" Wu Cheng Luo looked at Wu Cheng Ke with some ridicule.
"At least people won't say that they took our family's things and forced us to our deaths …" Wu Qilong's tone was low as he joined the battle.
"Whether or not they forced us to our deaths is still a problem!"
"Seventh Uncle, don't say things out of anger …"
"I'm not saying things out of anger. You're the one who was scared by that scholar! Who doesn't know that those scholars only know how to boast! "
"But there's really going to be a war, and everyone will give the wall a push when it's down, Seventh Uncle! Right now, there's a group of people staring at the Su family. They haven't made a move yet, they're waiting for the Su family to fall on their own! The Su family hasn't done anything big outside yet. But if something like this happens to our family, everyone can use it against us, and everyone can hit us when we're down! Does our Wu Family have fewer enemies than the Su family? "
"It might not necessarily be to that extent! If we do as he says and follow him to that extent, what's the … "
"Shut up!"
With a bang, a walking stick hit the ground. After arguing for so long, mixed in with all kinds of chatter around them, Fifth Uncle Wu Zhen, who was sitting at the top, finally flipped out. At this moment, he stood up shakily.
"Stop talking nonsense, it's not to what extent now. It's to plunder! Family! Exterminate! Clan! "He hit the ground with his walking stick." Confiscate the family and exterminate the entire clan! "
For a moment, the surrounding voices had already quieted down. The old man looked around and fell back into his chair, panting as he spoke. "Do you still not understand? It's not to what extent, if you're wrong, it's not a difference of 30% or 60%. If you're wrong, it's confiscation of the family and extermination of the entire clan. Right now, everyone here, outside, your family's wife and children, either dead or sent to exile. At this time, you actually all know … Stop arguing, say something useful. "
"We can only … we can only go through the connections of some big shots …" Wu Chengyuan hesitated for a moment and said.
Wu Chenghou, who was sitting at the top, shook his head. "In ten days, the big shots of the three provinces and six ministries, no matter how much money they have, won't be able to get through."
Fifth Uncle Wu Zhen caught his breath. "Actually, if the negotiations really break down, is it really that serious? Everyone, think about this first. "
"The Chen family and the Lu family are also staring at us. They used to be imperial merchants, and now they want to develop further. They … have their previous relationship with the officials. If our Wu Family falls and we give up our share, they will definitely be very happy …"
"Everyone will definitely give the wall a push when it's down …"
"And if there really is going to be a war, if it was in the past …" Wu Qilong frowned. "Then most likely there will be room for maneuver …"
"Not necessarily if there is a war, what are the chances?" Wu Chengluo said.
"I don't know," Wu Qilong said frankly, then looked around. "Uncles, what do you think? Do you … dare to take this risk? "
Confiscation of the family and extermination of the family, after all, depended on the mood of the emperor. If it was just one, perhaps it could be taken a risk. However, on the eve of the war, coupled with the possibility of the various cloth merchants adding fuel to the fire after the matter was exposed, and the combined reaction of the emperor after hearing about this, no one could be in a good mood. There was an indescribable silence. Fifth Uncle knocked with his walking stick. "Then what else is there to discuss about this …"
"It's not that there is no chance." Wu Chengke thought for a long time before saying, "That Ning Liheng's statement is very simple. It is nothing more than asking our Wu Family to buy time with money, but business can always be discussed. We don't know how much of his words are a bluff. Now we need to see how much the Wu Family wants the handover to be smooth. If it's not smooth, how much effort will they put in? In between, who is the one planning and who is making the decision? We have to figure out these things first … "
Wu Chenghou nodded. "It is nothing more than Su Yu, Su Tan'er, and Ning Yi …"
Wu Chengyuan frowned and said, "I don't know about Ning Yi, but Su Yu and Su Tan'er are not easy to deal with. What if the negotiation really fails after a test?"
Wu Chenghou was silent for a moment. "It depends on how decisive they are and how much they want it …"
"Su Tan'er has not been having a good time recently." Wu Qihao raised his head. "Our Wu Family has a chance to be safe after all. Even if the situation is bad, we can still hold on for a few months or even half a year … Su Tan'er must be eager to prove her ability now. With her in charge, I think … there must be room for negotiation … The time of applying for a delay in the release of the news is the most crucial. If we can delay it for a few days, we may be able to release fake news so that the market doesn't know what to believe."
"This will only avoid the detection of some people. Once the news of the Su Family is released, there will definitely be people who believe it. Releasing rumors will only deceive some people. We will be active for at least a month or two …" Someone came out and shook his head. "If you want to find a weakness, you can first think about who is in control, but I don't think this is Su Tan'er's control."
"Su Yu has never used this method before. It doesn't seem like it … But other than them, it can't really be that Ning Yi. This kind of thing can't be done just by being smart. We can only rely on people like Su Yu and Su Tan'er, and we have checked before, but he has no experience at all …"
In the buzzing discussion, Fifth Great Uncle sighed and gestured to Wu Qilong, who was sitting there in silence again. "Qilong, you have the most contact with that Ning Yi. What do you think? Even if it was really a trap, what did he do? "
Wu Qilong looked at him and hesitated. "I, I have some ideas, but …" He shook his head. "It's hard to say …"
In the business world, one could always grasp the outline of the opponent, so that one could really start to make a fuss and make a strategy to get out of a dangerous situation. If the opponent made a seemingly perfect trap, then one could only find the weakness of the opponent's character and guess what the opponent couldn't grasp. The Su family and the Xue family had been fighting for many years, and the Wu Family had been watching from the side. But now, no one could really understand Ning Liheng. Perhaps only Wu Qilong, who had been in contact with him for the longest time, could barely piece together some outline at this time.
"In fact, now that I think about it, there is one thing that we all neglected …" After a moment, he sighed and finally began to say, "In fact, we all know the character of Su Tan'er more or less. Two and a half months ago, when Su Boyong was assassinated, she suddenly fell ill. We thought that she was really under too much pressure at that time. We inquired about it, and it was true, so we didn't doubt it. But later, in fact, there was a problem. "
Hearing this, someone next to him reacted. Wu Qihao said, "She didn't show up for a month …"
"Yes." Wu Qilong nodded. "According to Su Tan'er's character, after the first few days of the cold and the fever subsided, it was impossible for her to stay in bed to recuperate in such a situation. But at that time, Ning Yi accepted it. It was a little funny. But behind his back, the Su family had been promoting the yellow cloth in a high-profile, and they didn't stop. We all thought that Su Tan'er couldn't deal with the details, so she grasped the overall situation. And because of this, after Ning Yi performed several times, we felt that even if he grasped the overall situation well, there would always be loopholes in the details … "
"Now that I think about it, it might be hindsight, but according to Su Tan'er's character, how could she stay at home at that time? Even if Ning Yi didn't understand, she definitely did … A few days later, after Ning Yi told me about those things, I realized that it was because the yellow cloth had faded that Su Tan'er fell ill … For such a woman, when Su Boyong was assassinated, the Su family was troubled both internally and externally at that time, it was impossible for her to stay in bed for a month. We neglected these things, but looking back, when she fell ill, the first branch of the Su family didn't have a backbone at all. With her state at that time, it was impossible for her to make such a plot. It must have been during this period that Ning Yi made the plan, so she didn't get out of bed even after the fever subsided a few days later. Moreover, the old man of the Su family didn't interfere … "
"Then, everyone fell into this trap. At that time, it seemed that Ning Yi didn't do anything, but now that I think about it, we didn't even feel that there was anything wrong at that time. We didn't even think about it in our minds. Even more than a month after the imperial merchant made the decision, Ning Yi directly put this matter aside. We went back and calculated several times, but there was no doubt at all … Uncles, everything was just right. For such a person, if you want me to say what kind of opponent he is, then he is simply … simply … "
He frowned, his expression hesitating for a long time, but he couldn't figure out what to say. However, the people around them could roughly see the outline of the figure that was sketched out …
*****
"… In fact, if I explain it clearly, it's nothing more than offering Buddha with borrowed flowers. Maybe a lot of people can think of it verbally. But to really carry it out, the difficulty is really too high. We have to entice people to have thoughts, but we can't be too deliberate. Every step has to be just right. Otherwise, the Wu Family is also experienced in the business world. After so many years of hard work, they can easily find a loophole in a small problem … "
In the pavilion of the Prince Consort's residence, Kang Xian smiled and shook his head.
"At that time, there was a traitor in the Su family. At that time, Ning Yi couldn't have gone to teach people how to act. Moreover, he was married into the Su family, so it was easier said than done to control everything. But just like that, he attracted people's thoughts bit by bit, and it seemed that no one noticed anything. The Wu Family thought that he deliberately stole the Su family's recipe, but they didn't know how many strings Ning Yi had pulled. At that time, I also sent people to keep an eye on the Su family, but they also didn't notice anything. When he said those words that day, I was also stunned for a while like you. When I thought about it clearly, I felt the back of my head go numb … Amazing … "
"Lifting heavy things as if they were light, he set up this trap bit by bit … Many things may seem magical, and the ideas may be simple, but the deciding factors are the details that others can't see or sense. Perhaps only Old Qin can do something like this … cough …"
At this point, he stopped and sighed slightly. Zhou Yong frowned. "Uncle-in-law, when you said Duke Qin, did you mean …"
Kang Xian shook his head. Actually, what he mentioned was no longer a secret, but in the end, it wasn't appropriate to mention it carelessly. "What Liheng has done this time is truly admirable. I think it's about time for the results to be revealed. Haha, when the time comes, you and I will see the dumbfounded expressions of those people … Xiao Pei and Junwu being able to become his disciples is also a blessing. De Fang, you must not neglect this."
"Of course, I wouldn't dare neglect this matter." Zhou Yong bowed respectfully, showing that he now had a whole new level of respect for Ning Yi. "I heard that he doesn't want to be a guest of the Prince Consort's residence, but I don't know why." He had heard about this a few days ago, but now he remembered it again after putting it to the back of his mind.
"Ha, Liheng's temperament is different from others. After a while, you'll understand. It's not that he has any opinions about the Prince Consort's residence. De Fang, do you know that on that day, although he spoke casually about business, he was still somewhat absent-minded when he was playing chess with others? Why? "
"Could it be that he encountered some trouble?" Zhou Yong asked with a frown, determined to remember this matter.
On the other side, Kang Xian smiled amusedly. "That's not it … Oh, but it is indeed trouble, just that it's not something that can be resolved by others. At that time, he had dealt with matters that involved the life and death of the Su and Wu families with ease. However, there were still some matters that were difficult for him. Old Qin and I were curious. Who knew that after he said it, hehe, we would find it interesting. It turns out that on that day outside, a woman revealed her feelings to him. He was originally a live-in son-in-law of the Su mansion, so he was somewhat hesitant about what to do in the future … "
Zhou Yong blinked his eyes, then laughed involuntarily, "So it's such a small matter. A man should have three wives and four wives … Uh …" He had intended to say it boldly, but considering that the uncle in front of him only had one wife, even though he had a deep relationship with his aunt, he finally stopped himself and changed the topic, "Cough, this person is indeed sentimental …"
"Haha, speaking of that, I know that woman as well as Elder Qin. She is indeed not bad. Originally, she was a prostitute, but she has always kept her chastity. Later, she redeemed herself …"
*****
On a quiet night, on the second floor of the courtyard of the Su mansion, Ning Yi and Su Tan'er were looking at the full moon in the sky, chatting while eating and enjoying the wind.
Today, the two of them were very bored, gnawing on the uncreative food, big flatbread.
"When negotiating with the Wu Family, you have to speak in a domineering manner."
"Hmm … But how should I say domineering?"
"Uh, for example … Don't be sad, after all, you're still alive …"
"Husband will anger people to death."
"No, they're all business elites … Hmm, the moon on the 14th is also very round …"
"Unfortunately, it's not the 15th of August …"
"Why do you suddenly think of the 15th of August? Is it a pity that you didn't attend this year's poetry competition? "
"No, I'm suddenly thinking that I caused Husband to fail that day, so I won't be able to see Husband compose a poem to the moon, leaving those scholars speechless."
"It's not that exaggerated …"
"Why don't Husband compose another poem today to celebrate the end of the Wu Family?"
"Okay."
"Eh, really?"
"Heh, you're a scholar, of course, composing a poem is at your fingertips …"
"…" He waited with rapt attention.
"… O sea, you're all water!"
"Oh …"
"O horse, you have four legs!"
"…" His face began to twitch.
"O moon, you're so round!" He looked calm.
"…"
"O Wu Family, you're finished."
"…" He had already lowered his head, desperately stuffing the flatbread into his mouth to stop his body from trembling.
"Finished. Look, the moon, the Wu Family is finished."
"Hmm … Uh … Cough, cough … Uh …"
"What's wrong with you?"
"Uh, uh, uh …"
"Do you want to strangle yourself to death …"
Under the moonlight, Ning Yi began to smile and pat his wife's back. Looking at her like this, Su Tan 'er's figure was indeed somewhat frail.
She seemed to be choking to death, and she began to use her head to bump against Ning Yi's chest.
This might be the year I laughed the most …
In this unladylike action that she had almost never done, she thought so …
*****
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