Chapter 1 "I Have a Favor to Ask"

"This old one has a favor to ask," Kong Yan suddenly said before Ye Tao and the others finished that part of their secret conversation with him and were about to allow the Kong family members who were waiting anxiously outside and those more vigilant retainers to enter the living room.

"Oh?" Ye Tao asked with interest, "Please speak."

"My eldest grandson, Kong Fan, should be considered quite talented. It's a pity that his mind is neither on business nor does he have any interest in studying or painting, calligraphy, poetry, or prose. He just travels to many places and has extensive social connections. Perhaps he can help the Eastern Proprietor. I wonder if the Eastern Proprietor is willing to promote this young man?"

"Chen Kai's" current identity and the few words revealed during the conversation with Kong Yan were enough for Kong Yan to understand how abundant the resources he could mobilize, the manpower and material resources he could use, and the various situations he could understand were. Sending someone to his side, Kong Yan was certainly not naive enough to think that he could learn anything about "Chen Kai" through this Kong Fan. On the contrary, this was to send a hostage, a hostage important enough to Kong Yan, to "Chen Kai's" side, so that they could restrain Xing Si Fang.

"Kong Fan?" Ye Tao smiled and said, "I should have seen him at the teahouse, with his large group of friends. Okay, this guy is quite interesting. Tell him to come to the teahouse to find me later. Don't let anyone else know about this."

Kong Fan was indeed as Kong Yan said, not good at writing or business. If one had to describe him, he could be called an adventurer, explorer, or traveler. Xi Ling was mountainous, and while cutting the plains and basins into fragments, it also left Xi Ling with many uninhabited corners, many strange and undiscovered places, and many rare animals and plants that were still on the edge of people's vision. Every time Kong Fan went out, he would find some interesting people, things, and objects to bring back. Although he was not from a prestigious family, he relied on his extensive knowledge and eloquent tongue to thrive in Anqing's playboy circle. Many young ladies from families that were not too high and unattainable secretly admired Kong Fan. This person was indeed a very interesting fellow.

"This old one understands," Kong Yan replied quickly. "The Eastern Proprietor's important matters are not to be trifled with."

After Ye Tao and the others left, Kong Yan immediately summoned the Kong family members and the servants and farmhands serving in the suburban villa, ordering them not to spread today's events. After adulthood, the Kong family members all knew that the Kong family was originally established by Chen Jia, the prime minister of the previous dynasty, to plan the great cause of restoring the country, so they knew the importance of the matter. But the servants in the family were not so tight-lipped. After all, the Kong family was not the kind of great family whose rules could be strictly enforced. Soon after, the news that "Lu Zhen" visited Kong Yan and had a secret meeting with Kong Yan for a full two hours spread in a small circle.

In the past, everyone thought that Lu Zhen was just a more knowledgeable down-and-out merchant, with a bit of intention to revitalize his family business. But the secret meeting with Kong Yan could now greatly improve the surrounding people's perception of Lu Zhen. As the helmsman of Xing Si Fang, Kong Yan, whether in terms of financial resources or influence, at least in the current situation, was countless times stronger than Lu Zhen. But since Lu Zhen could be accepted by Kong Yan, obviously everyone would think highly of Xing Si Fang.

However, this kind of high or low regard was not important to Ye Tao or the Yuan Yuan Garden business. On the one hand, teahouses are mostly frequented by repeat customers. Once they have a seating rate of more than 70%, the staff will no longer try to attract customers, but will try to treat the current customers well. Keeping the shop comfortable and quiet is more pleasing to the staff than being full. After all, Yuan Yuan Garden targets a relatively high market segment, and those who come are all people with some money, and the average per capita consumption is relatively high. On the other hand, it was also because, as Ye Tao continued to advance the things he was currently arranging in Xi Ling, Ye Tao and his men might have to run away at any time. They were really planning to attack Nan Shan Bank.

As for the Special Operations Battalion, they had slowly dug the underground passage to within about a foot of the reserve treasury. With a little more effort, they could touch the inner wall of the reserve treasury. But it was at this time that they dared not act rashly. Not only did they not speed up the progress, but they also restrained their digging speed, reducing the speed to the point where it would hardly cause any sound. Of course, they could speed up a little during the day. After all, the noisy streets were the best cover. And now, Guanshengyuan's biscuits had begun to fully enter the stage of working day and night. Although they did not do business outside of Anqing, there were always people who bought them in batches. Without affecting retail sales, the soldiers of the Special Operations Battalion were happy to turn a blind eye. Although shops imitating Guanshengyuan quickly sprung up, their business was completely incomparable to the "employees" of Guanshengyuan, whose minds were not on business at all.

Now, the soldiers of the Special Operations Battalion did not dare to dig through the last bit of depth and empty the entire reserve treasury. Instead, they needed to wait for a good opportunity to not only empty it but also not leave any clues. They had to organize the transportation and storage of a large amount of silver. This was not a simple matter, but they quickly received strong support from the Intelligence Bureau. Ye Tao had privately told Cao Pojun and others about this. As long as the reserve treasury could be obtained, there was no need to worry about the official matters. Naturally, Sun Bo Ping would handle it clearly with skilled methods, and it could also add a bit of authority to Sun Bo Ping. As for Guanshengyuan, if it could not leak any clues and continue to exist, it would still be a good base. On the one hand, it could continue to make money, and on the other hand, it was also a very stable foothold in Anqing. Guanshengyuan's small retail sales were so developed that the constant flow of people provided unlimited possibilities for the transmission and forwarding of information. The Intelligence Bureau now very much wanted to continue to take over this place and operate it after the Special Operations Battalion withdrew. Naturally, Ye Tao also agreed. This could also be regarded as selling Nie Rui a favor. Such a profitable place could almost bear all the expenses of the Intelligence Bureau's three unconnected intelligence pipelines in Anqing with just one Guanshengyuan shop.

The Intelligence Bureau prepared a considerable number of people and locations for Guanshengyuan to store the silver, some of which could only be used during specific hours. Brothels replenishing wine and food during the day to prepare for the night's business; houses waiting to be demolished; new courtyards being renovated and decorated by wealthy families; or old courtyards being rested, etc., were all endlessly varied. Some were controlled by the Intelligence Bureau personnel, and some required taking a little risk to prevent irrelevant people on the scene from touching what they stored. However, on the whole, the Intelligence Bureau's organization was extremely excellent.

As for the opportunity that the soldiers of the Special Operations Battalion were waiting for, it was coming soon. The somewhat embarrassed Dao Ming Sect would organize a huge Dharma assembly in the South Market, and a large number of gifts and food would be distributed at that time, which was estimated to attract a considerable number of people to watch the ceremony. It goes without saying that the South Market would be crowded with traffic. The location of the Dharma assembly was still a bit far from the Nanshi Taxation Yamen, where the reserve treasury was located. It would still be very noisy there, but it would not be so crowded that traffic would be difficult. All in all, this should be the best opportunity. The Dharma assembly held in the South Market was to commemorate the so-called birthday of Lord Hunyuan, but the Hunyuan Hall, the general altar of the Dao Ming Sect, was destroyed and is still under tense reconstruction. It will take two or three years to rebuild. The Dao Ming Sect does not have the powerful construction capabilities of the Ye Family Workshop, nor does it have the construction technology that can use steel and cement to replace wood as the price of beams. It will take them several years just to prepare the materials.

While the Special Operations Battalion and the Intelligence Bureau were actively cooperating, Ye Tao also took a fancy to the Dharma assembly that the Dao Ming Sect was finally forced to hold in the South Market. At that time, many core figures of the Dao Ming Sect would attend. Although Ye Tao did not want to kill people on such occasions and cause a city-wide search, which might trap a few people, he could find ways to make the Dharma assembly a bit of a spectacle. In addition, several of the heads of the Nan Shan Bank, whom they were originally dealing with, also came to Anqing this time to attend the Dharma assembly and support the Dao Ming Sect, which was somewhat embarrassed. Ye Tao was thinking about whether he could play some tricks on these people to make Nan Shan Bank feel a little threatened. When he made the remark at Kong Yan's place, Ye Tao did not intend to really defeat Nan Shan Bank. In fact, this was not something that could be seen in a short period of time, but in the long run, this move was necessary. Not only was it to deter those merchants who had turned to the Dao Ming Sect, but it was also to express his position to those merchants who were waiting and watching, and it was also for Ye Tao's ultimate goal of gradually revealing his identity. After all, he was not here for tourism. He had to disclose the identity of "Chen Kai" and put himself in a controllable "trouble."

"Are you ready?" Ye Tao asked, "Don't really make things too big. There are a lot of messy things to do in the South Market. If things get too big and the Special Operations Battalion can't connect, the loss will be great."

Faced with Cao Pojun, who came to coordinate the work, Ye Tao rolled his eyes, a little apprehensive. Cao Pojun was not so unreliable when he was in charge of the internal affairs guards. He was quite stable in his work. However, since he began to be fully responsible for the fieldwork in Xi Ling, he had become more and more brave and diligent.

Cao Pojun smiled and said, "The Zong Mo Troupe is an expert in dealing with the Dao Ming Sect. Don't worry, sir."