Volume 3: The Richest Man in the World Chapter 49: Clearing Up Misunderstandings
What Wu Chengjian did last night was like a person who is about to do a matter of life and death, but is still hesitant, so he flips a coin to see whether it will succeed . This is the same principle as the ancients who would consult divination before going to war, except that last night Wu Chengjian used his life to "divine", and the result of the "divination" was "not dead", so he was filled with inexplicable confidence in this trip.
When they returned to Ritianju and entered the gate of the courtyard, Chunrui came to meet them and said, "The eldest young lady is here." Sure enough, Wu Liu was waiting outside the house. Wu Chengjian tapped Wu Liu's forehead with his finger, and Wu Liu's face was full of shame and fear.
When I entered the house, I saw Cai Qiaozhu and Ye Youyu sitting together, with their knees touching each other. Cai Qiaozhu held one of Ye Youyu's hands with both hands - her left hand holding Ye Youyu, and her right hand covering the back of Ye Youyu's palm.
Seeing Wu Chengjian coming in, Cai Qiaozhu glared at him fiercely. Ye Youyu signaled with his eyes, and the servants in the room, such as Dongxue and Lianqiao, all left.
Wu Chengjian said with a drooling face, "Sister-in-law."
Cai Qiaozhu put down Ye Youyu's hand, pointed at Wu Chengjian's nose and cursed: "You, you... do you really think I'm your sister-in-law? You hide everything from me and take care of everything yourself! You are so good!"
Wu Chengjian just smiled and said nothing.
Cai Qiaozhu cursed twice, as if to save face, and snorted, "You told me there was a fish... Alas, actually, it's my fault. I shouldn't have listened to outsiders, I shouldn't have..."
After the Shanggongyuan meeting, she returned to Liyongyuan, thought about it all night, and cried all night.
Some things are useless to just talk, but some things can convince people without saying anything. Wu Chengjian's complete concession at the meeting at Shanggong Garden finally made Cai Qiaozhu understand his intentions. So she thought and cried all night, feeling sad and ashamed. She had just calmed down, but her eyes were red again.
Wu Chengjian didn't let her continue: "Sister-in-law, the past is the past. It doesn't matter how much we fight or quarrel, we are still a family after the quarrel. A harmonious family will bring prosperity to everything! You are not good at acting, so I have to hide some things from you, so that I can put on some drama for outsiders to see, right." As he said this, he smiled with a drooling face.
Seeing that he was being half serious and half frivolous again, Cai Qiaozhu spat at him. Wu Chengjian accepted it with a smile, but the stone in the hearts of the uncle and sister-in-law was completely removed.
Cai Qiaozhu vented her resentment and deep regret, and a hint of sadness appeared on her face. She said, "You...are going to Beijing?"
Wu Chengjian stopped smiling and nodded, "There's no other way. If I don't go, Yi Jin will die. So I have to go. It's not our family tradition to watch someone die without helping him, not to mention that he is my lifelong friend."
Cai Qiaozhu said: "You can't let people spend money..."
Wu Chengjian interrupted her: "This is not a matter of spending money. If Heshen doesn't see me, Shuntian Prefecture will not overturn the verdict."
Cai Qiaozhu sighed deeply. She knew the Wu family's tradition and Wu Chengjian's character very well. At this point, she knew that it was useless to persuade him. She was silent for a long time before she said, "Forget it. I know I can't persuade you. If I could, Youyu would persuade him, and it wouldn't be my turn. But... I want you to promise me one thing."
"Sister-in-law, you say."
Cai Qiaozhu said, "I don't know what you are planning to do when you go to Beijing this time, but I want to tell you that although on the surface, you have given the house to me as pawn. But you and I both know that you have always been the head of Yihe Bank. So if you have any decision, just let someone pass on the message. If you need money, I will give you money, and if you need people, I will give them people."
"Okay. I promise, sister-in-law."
"This is just something you're aware of," Cai Qiaozhu said, "What I want you to agree to is something else."
"Um?"
Cai Qiaozhu looked at Wu Chengjian, then at Ye Youyu, and then at Ye Youyu's belly. Then she turned back to Wu Chengjian and said, "If the time comes, don't protect the Wu family or Yihe Bank."
"Hmm?" This time it was Ye Youyu who raised the question, while Wu Chengjian remained silent.
"Money is not important, and Yihe Bank is not important either." Cai Qiaozhu said, "You are the most important! The lives of your family are the most important! If there is a chance to use the Wu family's property and the money and goods of Yihe Bank to exchange for the safety of your family and your life... I want you to promise me that you must do it!"
Ye Youyu was stunned.
Before, she actually had some complaints about Wu Chengjian being so tolerant of her, but she just didn't say it. But at this moment, she suddenly felt that no matter how tolerant her husband was to his sister-in-law, it was not too much - just because of these few words of hers!
Wu Chengjian was also silent. He could have easily lied to Cai Qiaozhu at this moment, but he remained silent. He and Cai Qiaozhu's uncle and sister-in-law had lived together for many years, and he knew that he could not deceive her at this moment.
Cai Qiaozhu scolded, "Fool, you fool! Don't you think that with your own abilities, as long as you are safe, the Wu family will have a chance to make a comeback? Even if there is really no chance to become rich again, as long as you can save your life and your family is together and safe, isn't this more important than saving a fortune?"
Wu Chengjian suddenly realized, and the last bit of hesitation that he had before was completely swept away: "Okay, sister-in-law, I understand, I promise you!"
Hearing these words from Cai Qiaozhu gave him more room to maneuver when he went to Beijing again, because he had unlimited support from his family!
Cai Qiaozhu looked him straight in the eyes, knowing that he was not perfunctory, and then nodded and said, "Go, go, go with peace of mind. Fight well outside, we are here to support you at home. I will take good care of Youyu's body, and you can just take care of your own affairs after you go to Beijing, and you don't need to worry about the family anymore."
This time, it was Ye Youyu who took the initiative to reach out and hold Cai Qiaozhu's hand.
Inside the house, the uncle and his sister-in-law resolved their past grudges, and the sisters-in-law also became closer.
Just then, Wu Qi knocked on the door. Wu Chengjian let him in and Wu Qi said, "Official Qi is here."
Wu Chengjian hesitated for a moment and said, "Please."
Wu Qi went out, and Cai Qiaozhu asked, "What is he doing here?"
Wu Chengjian said, "I'll go out and meet him." He paused and said, "Sister-in-law, you and Youyu listen behind the antique shelf. After I leave, you will be the ones to take care of this family."
The two sisters-in-law nodded together.
Wu Chengjian went to the outer hall as he spoke. Cai Qiaozhu and Ye Youyu went to the antique shelf and found a place to sit.
This time, Pan Youjie didn't put on any airs and just walked in directly.
Wu Chengjian went to meet him. In front of outsiders, he put on a warm face and said with a smile, "Sir, what brings you here?"
Chunrui has already served the tea.
Pan Youjie waved his hand, and Pan Haigen left. Wu Chengjian nodded slightly, and the servants of the Wu family who were serving in the room also left. Pan Youjie leaned forward slightly and said to Wu Chengjian, "Chengjian, now that it has come to this, we won't pretend anymore."
Wu Chengjian guessed the other party's intention and nodded, "Okay, you decide, Brother Youjie."
Pan Youjie asked, "Have you decided to go to Beijing?"
Wu Chengjian did not hide it and nodded: "Yes."
Pan Youjie asked again: "Did Heshen force you?" He knew about Liu Quan's arrival earlier than Wu Chengjian, so he naturally guessed some things.
Wu Chengjian continued to nod: "Yes."
Pan Youjie was silent for a long time before he said, "I said those words last time, but I want to say it again this time: Some things were not done by me. Some things I just went with the flow, but I never wanted to destroy your Wu family. Whether you believe it or not, I'm leaving this out."
Wu Chengjian hesitated for a moment. He didn't believe it in his heart, but he said, "I know. That won't do you any good. We Cantonese people always have to be kind when doing business. It's not a good thing to let our former friendly family fall into this situation."
"It's good that you understand this!" Pan Youjie said, "Don't worry about this trip. I can't help you with the Beijing matter. But here in Guangzhou, I give you a guarantee: within half a year, nothing will happen outside Yihe Bank. Whoever dares to attack Yihe Bank will be attacking Tonghe Bank! Chengjun's wife, and your wife, are my brothers and sisters from now on, and Guang'er and Yao'er are my nephews. Whoever dares to attack them will be attacking me, Pan Youjie!"
Wu Chengjian was moved when he heard this. He quickly stood up and bowed to Pan Youjie: "Sir, I have nothing to worry about when I go to Beijing after hearing your words!"
Pan Youjie helped him up, patted his shoulder and said, "We are Thirteen Hongs, we work diligently and earn money for the country, and we have always kept a distance from the disputes over imperial power. There have been cases of insurance merchants going bankrupt in the past, but they were mainly caused by poor management. Now that Yihehang is on the rise, Heshen should not use means other than business ethics to bully you at this time. I cannot accept this. But my ability is limited, and there is only so much I can do to help you."
After Pan Youjie left, the two sisters-in-law also came out from behind the antique shelf. Cai Qiaozhu sighed, "Qi Guan has a big picture in mind and is willing to unite in times of crisis. No wonder Tonghexing can lead the pack."
Ye Youyu said nothing, but thought to herself: "My sister-in-law is good in every way, but she is too gullible."
After hearing what Pan Youjie said, Cai Qiaozhu's originally heavy mood eased a lot. She stared at Wu Chengjian and said, "Come to Lirongyuan for dinner tonight. It's been a long time since our family sat together to have a good meal. I scolded Guang'er for talking nonsense last time, but I couldn't stand the rumors of villains. However, after this incident, he should understand who is the best person for him. Before leaving, you have to teach him some principles of life and work."
After seeing Cai Qiaozhu off, Ye Youyu asked, "What does it mean that Qi Guan suddenly did this?"
Wu Chengjian said: "To put it in a positive way, he still has some feelings for our Wu family. He can't stand people in the officialdom bullying people in the business world, and he can't stand people from Guangdong being bullied by the people in the capital."
Ye Youyu asked, "What about the bad side?"
Wu Chengjian shook his head from side to side: "Since they have shown good intentions, don't think too much about their malicious intentions."
Ye Youyu said, "Even if you don't want to make malicious assumptions about others, you still have to let me know what's going on, right? Sister-in-law is too kind. If you go to Beijing and encounter any major changes here, I have to have some idea in my mind."
Wu Chengjian pondered for a moment and said, "Our Wu family has grown so big that the Pan family can no longer swallow us up."
Ye Youyu suddenly understood.
In the Thirteen Hongs today, Pan and Wu are two powerful families, and the combined size of the two families is close to half of the entire Thirteen Hongs. If the Pan family swallows up the Wu family, coupled with its position as the head of the family, it will immediately form a monopoly - this is something that the higher-ups will never allow, so it can be said that the relative size of the Pan family has reached its limit. Pan Youjie can try to attack the Wu family and split the Wu family to stop the Wu family from catching up with the Pan family, but it is impossible to swallow up the Wu family, and even swallowing up a larger part of it will also arouse the vigilance of all parties.
Wu Chengjian said: "Weakening or splitting our Wu family will be good for the Pan family, but it may not be good for the Wu family to completely collapse, because the Pan family cannot enjoy this dish, but they cannot stop others from eating it. By then, whether it is a new insurance merchant or Lu and Ye rise, it may not be better for the Pan family than it is now. New and unpredictable opponents are not the best choice. Weakening old opponents is - this is one.
"There have been several major events in recent years, and his Pan family may not be clean. If I go up and make random accusations, and the higher-ups conduct a thorough investigation, who knows what the result will be? He is trying to be nice to me at this time, and if I can return the favor and not make any accusations, then it will be worth it - this is the second reason."
"Okay," Ye Youyu said, "I understand."
After Wu Chengjian arranged all the matters at home and on the trip, he said goodbye to his family. Tietou Junba arranged for his mother to go to Beijing with Wu Chengjian. Wu Chengjian said, "What are you going to do? Have you forgotten my entrustment?"
Tietou Junba said: "Master Gu is here for everything. Even if you can't trust others, can you trust Master Gu?"
Seeing that he had made up his mind, Wu Chengjian stopped trying to stop him.
