This is the most difficult time for the Su family.
Everyone, including Su Canghai, felt lost and uncertain about their future.
Wang Zhenliang's shouts from outside the door continued to agitate everyone in the Su family, making them wish they could rush out and kill him.
Of course—
They knew that doing so would only worsen the situation.
Su Canghai calmed down and turned to look at the elder, "Father, have you contacted the Bai family? Did they say what the thoughts are from the capital?"
Su Shanshui shook his head and sighed, "I called three times last night, but no one from the Bai family answered. Their attitude is already clear: they can share wealth but not hardship."
"This..."
Su Canghai's face turned even more ashen.
Su Shanshui looked around. The Su family disciples whom his gaze swept over all lowered their heads. This scene made the elder of the Su family feel a pang of sorrow. He slammed the table again and sighed, "Hongzhi was right after all, there isn't a single man among the Su family!"
Everyone's expressions shifted slightly. Before they could say anything, Su Shanshui finally made up his mind.
"Let Wang Zhenliang in!"
"Whoever made a mistake must accept the punishment. I hope you all have the self-awareness."
At that moment,
Many people below panicked.
If they were taken away by Wang Zhenliang, who knew what fate awaited them?
Lamentations erupted from many people in the meeting hall, with everyone pleading with Su Shanshui to reconsider. Su Shanshui found these cries irritating and said irritably, "It's settled then. Prepare yourselves."
Within the Su family, Su Shanshui's words were like an imperial decree; no one dared to disobey.
And so, the following scene unfolded—
Wang Zhenliang, leading over a hundred uniformed personnel, stormed into the Su family, turned the place upside down, and finally took away over twenty core members of the Su family, causing a shockwave akin to a magnitude ten earthquake throughout Jiangnan.
What shocked everyone even more was that the Su family chose to cooperate obediently rather than resist with all their might.
This was not the Su family's usual style of operation.
Outside the Su family's gates,
The protesting crowd had dispersed. Tao Qiyue, dazed, felt that the events unfolding were not quite real. She turned to Chen Jinzhao beside her and asked, "Am I dreaming?"
Chen Jinzhao shook his head, "You are not dreaming. The Su family has made concessions."
"This is the Su family..." Tao Qiyue sighed.
At least,
Tao Qiyue had never imagined, nor dared to imagine, that the Su family would be raided.
This showed that Wang Zhenliang was truly a lone hero.
As the incident wound down, Su Shanshui and Su Canghai appeared outside the Su family's garden gate. In interviews with the media, they stated that the Su family would not tolerate evil and hoped that the relevant authorities would investigate thoroughly without any leniency.
Chen Jinzhao listened and smiled without a word.
Su Shanshui stood at the entrance of the Su family garden, his gaze passing over the crowds, landing on Chen Jinzhao standing at the back. Chen Jinzhao, sensing something, met the gaze of the Su family's patriarch.
Their eyes clashed in the void.
In this silent contest, Su Shanshui was the first to break eye contact, choosing to avoid the sharp edge of Chen Jinzhao's gaze.
Su Shanshui was inwardly alarmed, thinking that Chen Jinzhao's eyes were too sharp, far surpassing his own. It even reminded Su Shanshui of how his own father's gaze was when reprimanding subordinates, mirroring Chen Jinzhao's current look.
This forced Su Shanshui to take Chen Jinzhao seriously. If he couldn't come up with a countermeasure, the Su family might well be ruined at Chen Jinzhao's hands.
The media conference ended hastily.
Su Shanshui, with a dark expression, returned to the meeting hall.
After this ordeal, the Su family's influence in Jiangnan had diminished by more than thirty percent. It was a severe blow to the Su family's vitality, forcing them to change their original strategy.
"Father, then I..." Su Canghai felt uneasy, unsure of his own fate.
Su Shanshui raised his eyelids and said lightly, "You will remain in your original position. No one dares to do anything to you."
Su Canghai breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then, the positions our Su family originally occupied, should we give them up now or what?" he asked again.
"Let them go. The Su family is now a target for everyone. If we don't pay attention to our interests, we may not be able to protect ourselves," Su Shanshui said, sounding more than ten years older, his voice weak, which worried Su Canghai greatly.
Next,
Su Shanshui remained silent for ten minutes, leading Su Canghai to believe the elder had fallen asleep. Ten minutes later, Su Shanshui's eyes opened again, and his clouded pupils shone with a brilliant light. His entire demeanor was no longer one of aging weariness but like a peerless sword unsheathed, shaking one's spirit and preventing them from looking directly at the elder!
"Father!"
Su Canghai felt the elder's transformation and couldn't help but worry. Su Shanshui waved his hand, "I'm fine. I've just realized a truth: if you don't want to be overthrown from the outside, you must reform from the inside! After half a century of accumulation, the Su family has long emitted an aura of decay! If this continues, even before Chen Jinzhao makes a move, our Su family will disintegrate from within."
Su Shanshui knew his time was short, so he wanted to use his own methods to purge the Su family's rot and leave a vibrant Su family for his direct descendants!
"Father, think twice!" Su Canghai was moved.
Just like the aristocratic families scattered across this land, interest groups had emerged within the Su family. Once their interests were touched, who knew what depths they might sink to?
Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a human?
Su Shanshui raised his hand, stopping Su Changhai's words, "No need to persuade me further. I have made my decision. Moreover, I never fight a battle I cannot win. Do those who have vested interests really think they are so capable?"
"Get me the phone. I need to contact Qin Fengwu and ask for his assistance."
Su Canghai suddenly understood.
If they could gain the support of the Qin family, the internal resistance would be greatly reduced.
On the other side,
Qin Fengwu was in high spirits after ending his call with Su Shanshui in his office.
After this ordeal, the Su family was severely weakened. Coupled with Su Shanshui's desire to reform from within, this forced the Su family to lean towards Qin Fengwu, promising to give the positions vacated by this incident to Qin Fengwu's confidantes.
As a result, Qin Fengwu's voice in Jiangnan would carry more weight!
He practically held Jiangnan in the palm of his hand!
"The Su family would never have thought that I was the one who told Chen Jinzhao about Su Jian. If they knew, would they be so angry they'd die?" Qin Fengwu's face beamed with a smile, like the gentle spring breeze that dispels the cold in March.
He stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the cityscape of Jiangning. He couldn't help but murmur, "Jiangnan will be my springboard for success, and Chen Jinzhao will be my stepping stone. My life will be spectacular because of you all."
"Chen Jinzhao, thank you."
The vast land is a chessboard, and people are all pawns.
And he—
Is the player!