Volume 1: Mission in Danger Chapter 38: Dragon's Mouth Leftovers
Wu Chengjian knew that Cai Qinghua must have a purpose for having a midnight snack at Baietan tonight, but he couldn't figure out what the other party wanted - Zhu Gui was not a corrupt official, and he would not be so despicable as to take advantage of the chaos to make money. If there was someone who wanted to do the job, Lu Guanhuan was already there, and there was no obvious benefit in accepting another member of the Wu family. He might even have to confront Jishan head-on. This deal was obviously not worthwhile.
He looked at Zhou Yijin, but Zhou Yijin said nothing.
Cai Qinghua smiled and said to the boy, "Go down and have a rest."
The boy stopped singing, thanked Cai Qinghua and went downstairs. Cai Qinghua then said to the servant, "I don't need your service anymore." The servant pouted and went downstairs as well. Wu Qi naturally understood and followed him. After the two of them went downstairs, they drove everyone to a place with a high wind. People who are in a high wind are less likely to listen.
There was no fourth person on the second floor, so Cai Qinghua said, "My disciple is extremely loyal to Brother Wu. If that's the case, I'm sure you know a lot about the affairs of the capital."
Wu Chengjian twitched his lips and said, "When the gods in Beijing fight, we mortals in Guangzhou suffer."
Cai Qinghua smiled and said, "If it rains heavily, the lower world will be flooded. If it doesn't rain, the lower world will be dry. Since it is a matter that has been decided in the Nine Heavens, it is difficult for the lower world to avoid it. The only thing that can be done is to see whether the sun rises in the east or it rains in the west. "
Wu Chengjian said: "But now that the power of the transfer has fallen into the hands of Master Cai, why is it that Yu Lu has feelings for me but not for me?"
Cai Qinghua laughed out loud. He quoted an ancient poem and Wu Chengjian responded immediately with a suitable answer and neither humble nor arrogant. His quick wit, talent and broad mind were really great.
Cai Qinghua stared at Wu Chengjin's face, which was not panicked at all in the turmoil. He immediately felt that this boy was extraordinary. Such a stunning charm was not something that a naturally handsome boy could have. He couldn't help but sigh, "It's a pity that you are a few years older, brother."
Wu Chengjian said: "Fortunately, I am a few years older."
The two looked at each other, realizing that they understood each other's secret code, and burst into laughter again.
These two laughs finally resolved the feud on Shenxian Island.
After laughing, Cai Qinghua said, "Brother, your Wu family has been rising rapidly in the past two years, but for the Governor's Office, it is not as convenient as the Lu family."
Wu Chengjian nodded and admitted it, but said: "However, protecting one more family is a piece of cake for the Grand Lord. What I don't understand is why Master Cai refused to help and pushed us. The good show in Shenxianzhou tonight has pushed our Yihe Bank into purgatory. People who don't know say that our Wu family was intercepted by the Lu family. People who know a little say that I designed to take advantage of the situation and offend Master Cai. But I think Master Cai is not such a narrow-minded person - if you were such a person, when I sent the boy to take advantage of the situation, Yi Jin would have stopped me."
Cai Qinghua glanced at Zhou Yijin and said with a smile, "My disciple is very good at judging people. I was a little annoyed by your trick that day, but I let it go afterwards. If you keep such a small matter in mind, how can I have the time to help the owner with big plans?"
"In that case," Wu Chengjian said, "Master Cai has other plans for the 'revenge' of Shenxianzhou tonight."
Cai Qinghua smiled and said, "The money that Beijing wants must be raised no matter what. If it cannot be transported to Beijing within a month after the end of the autumn harvest, a lot of work will not be done in time, and the hole in the account of the Ministry of Internal Affairs cannot be filled by the end of the year. If this hole in the account cannot be filled, Heshen will probably fall. The money must be transported to Beijing within a month after the autumn harvest, so Jishan must raise the money before and after the end of the autumn harvest. If he cannot raise it, Heshen will be killed before he falls. Lu Guanhuan has calculated for me that to raise that money, it is not enough to confiscate only one of the guarantors. It is not enough to confiscate two or five of the lower ones. If one of them is replaced by one of the upper six, there will be more - in addition to paying tribute to fill the hole, Jishan can still eat some meat, and the guarantors who have not been confiscated can still drink some soup."
Wu Chengjian said, "So, as long as Mr. Cai doesn't get the contract, this scheme will not only help Jishan make money, but it will also be good for other insurance merchants. After realizing this, Pan Yiliang and Ma immediately supported Mr. Cai at the insurance merchant meeting that day."
"Yes." Cai Qinghua smiled and said, "So, now that things have come to this, the two companies that have fallen into the trap will not only face the open pressure from Jishan, but also the covert pressure from other insurance companies. As long as they make sure they are not one of the 'two companies', the other insurance companies will definitely turn against them if they fail."
At this point, he heaved a sigh of relief: "For example, there is a dragon that comes out of its den because it is hungry and looks for food. One beast is not enough, but two beasts are more than enough. The beasts run around in panic, not knowing which one will be the dragon's food. Rather than waiting for the dragon to choose, it is better to kill two beasts and offer them as sacrifices. When the dragon is full and returns to its den, there is still some meat left in the beasts' carcasses, which the beasts can share and eat."
Wu Chengjian said: "The Yang family is the first beast, and now our Wu family may be the second beast. The situation has developed to this point, and Jishan doesn't need to worry about it anymore. In order to avoid disaster and gain profit, the people below will push our two families to death."
Cai Qinghua smiled and said, "Cai Shiwen is a good guarantor. He has set up a good situation."
"It's a good situation." Wu Chengjian said, "It's a pity that it has disappointed relatives and friends. Our Wu family and he are half relatives and half allies. In terms of intimacy and morality, he shouldn't pick on our family."
Cai Qinghua said, "In terms of closeness, your Wu family is not as close to him as the Xie family. You are only semi-allies, but Cai and Xie are allies. In terms of morality, how much is morality worth in the business world? Among the top six families, the Pan family is unfathomable, and they dare not make a move. This plot was not hastily made but has a long history. When they planned it, Changlin had not left yet, and Lu Guanhuan relied on the Governor's Office, so it was difficult for them to touch him. The rest are only you, Wu and Ye."
Wu Chengjian said, "When Master Cai came to Baietan last time, he didn't seem to know much about the situation in Guangzhou, but now he knows everything about our Thirteen Hongs. Well, the change here must be because of Old Lu."
Cai Qinghua laughed, and Wu Chengjian knew that his guess was correct: "So why did General Manager Cai choose Wu instead of Ye? I really want to hear Lao Lu's analysis."
Cai Qinghua said, "Your Wu family and the Ye family have a close relationship. Old Lu believes that both the Wu and Ye families were separated from the Pan family, and their power is equal, but the Wu family values loyalty, while the Ye family is ungrateful. If you attack the Ye family, the Wu family will definitely protect the Ye family. If the two families join forces, they will most likely drag the Pan family into it. Even if they win, it will be a miserable victory. If you attack the Wu family, once it is a foregone conclusion, the Ye family will definitely abandon the Wu family. If the Wu family becomes an isolated force, the Pan family will see that the situation is hopeless and will most likely stand idly by. Then things will be much easier."
When Wu Chengjian heard this, it was like he had heard an extremely absurd yet extremely true joke. He couldn't help but want to laugh, but he couldn't.
"It turns out that the loyalty of our Wu family has become a reason for being attacked." Wu Chengjian finally laughed out loud: "Is this what they call good people get no good rewards, and evil deeds last for thousands of years? Is this what they call repairing bridges and roads but no one burying them, and killing people and setting fires for the gold belt? Haha, haha, Mr. Cai is really calculating, Mr. Lu is really good at foresight, and my future father-in-law is really flexible!"
In Shiyipu, there is a big house under a big banyan tree.
This was originally a remote place, but it rarely became so bustling, crowded with seventeen or eighteen people, all wearing silk shirts.
When Wu Chenggou appeared in front of everyone, everyone in the hut was almost boiling with excitement. Many people hurriedly asked, "Second Young Master, Second Young Master, I heard that Yihe Bank is going to have a big disaster. Some people even said that Yihe is going to go bankrupt. Is it true?"
Wu Chenggou smiled but did not answer directly. He walked up to his sixth uncle and asked him, "Are all the relatives here?"
"They are all here." Sixth Uncle said, "Almost all of the Wu family members in Guangzhou are here, except for the fifteenth one."
Wu Chenggou frowned and said, "Forget it, I won't wait for him. He is always afraid of things, so it doesn't matter if he doesn't come."
On the White Goose Pond, there are tower ships and painted boats.
Wu Chengjian said, "Master Cai, the current situation is going to be very bad for our Wu family. In fact, whether you pushed or not, it doesn't make much difference. Without your push, we can only delay it for a day or two. If you pushed, it would only make the situation break out earlier. But I don't understand, since you have already chosen the Lu family, why did you ask me to come?"
Cai Qinghua smiled and said, "Who said I chose the Lu family?"
Wu Chengjian was surprised: "Isn't it?"
Cai Qinghua said: "Lu Guanhuan is indeed a capable person. He has done a great job in the two tasks assigned by the host. However, in terms of friendship, I have only known him for a few days, so it is naturally not comparable to the master-disciple relationship between me and Yi Jin. Didn't you see that when I arrived in Guangzhou, I went to Yi Jin first instead of anyone else?"
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "What does that have to do with me?"
Cai Qinghua said, "Isn't Yi Jin working for you, my brother? I don't care about the monk's face, I care about the Buddha's face. Since Yi Jin is the one who sincerely assists him, I, Cai Qinghua, must show some favor to him."
Wu Chengjian said: "But if our Wu family falls, wouldn't it be easier for Yi Jin to take advantage of the situation and go back?"
Cai Qinghua laughed and said, "I did think so before, but now I have changed my mind. What Yi Jin needs most from the Grand Duke is a deep understanding of Lingnan. Now that I have Lu Guanhuan - although the trust between him and me is far from comparable to that between Yi Jin and me, this matter is not urgent."
Wu Chengjian and Zhou Yijin looked at each other, and both remembered that Cai Qinghua had once warned him: "Guangzhou is a magical place. You never know when someone will come out to replace you. If you wait for a good price, you may not be able to sell it." Sure enough, his words came true today.
Zhu Gui was the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi, and he held the position of the top official in Guangdong and Guangxi. It was only a matter of time before all kinds of people and forces came to him to join him.
Cai Qinghua continued, "Although we are not in a hurry to find Yi Jin now, I have another matter to ask you, Brother Wu. If you agree, you won't have to worry about the disaster in front of you. Cai promises on behalf of the Grand Lord: Yihe Bank and your Wu family will be protected by the Grand Lord. If things go well, it may not be impossible to raise your Wu family to the position of the head merchant in the future."
