“Don't overthink it. Once this blows up, your Wu family will be facing confiscation of assets and extermination, there's no escaping it…”

The voice was calm, echoing above the teahouse. Wu Qilong sat there, momentarily speechless. He had, after all, spent years honing his skills in the business world and was not some mediocre fool. Ordinary scaremongering would not easily frighten him. But this time was different. He had already witnessed the discoloration of the yellow cloth and realized Ning Yi's intricately linked, astonishing plan. Now, the things being said were presented in a gradual, measured way. Ning Yi's attitude was natural, casually throwing the concept of confiscation and extermination right in his face.

Few people could recover from such words immediately, when it concerned themselves, confiscation and extermination. Wu Qilong hadn't been oblivious to the severity of the yellow cloth's discoloration, but at most he had thought of facing some fines. Many things, even if they qualified as "deceiving the emperor," wouldn't be judged lightly. There were always ways to mitigate the situation. That was why he found Ning Yi's demand for a third of the Wu family utterly absurd. But Ning Yi's words directly highlighted a factor they hadn't considered before.

A war is coming...

Shopkeeper Liao is going to the capital to solidify your Wu family's guilt of deceiving the emperor...

Combining these things...

Ning Yi quietly sipped his tea, waiting for him to digest the information, before continuing as if in casual conversation.

"What the Su family can do, many people in Jiangning can also do. When you got the yellow cloth, this side had already decided. The first delivery was delayed at your request, and the news of the discoloration was sure to be released."

He was now speaking about a plan almost entirely of his own making, while also expressing regret to Wu Qilong and the entire Wu family, as if it were no concern of his: We are definitely going to make sure your entire family dies.

He continued, "This effect isn't good. Once everyone knows, the whole situation is no longer something the Su family can control. Even if we don't make a big fuss in the capital, others will exert some influence to bring down the Wu family… Of course, the Su family will definitely continue to do so. Next, your family will be convicted, the market will be chaotic, and we'll go in to grab the shares. Whether we can get the best part, and how much effort it will take, well… the Su family will definitely have some trouble with that."

"So, I still hope to resolve all of this before the imperial merchant's delivery is delayed." Ning Yi poured himself a full cup of tea and shook his head. "Time will be a bit tight, but that's also to ensure you take out all your goods, without needing to sort them too thoroughly. Just hand over whatever can be handed over. For anything we can't handle, Tan'er will surely be reasonable…"

"Of course, the most important thing is sincerity, that's very important. If possible, I'd like to show you that plan. At the time, I emphasized a few points to Tan'er. First, absolutely no delays. We don't have time for negotiations. No matter what you say, if things aren't settled by the time you request an extension, even if it's just a little bit, the Su family will release the news. Once released, the situation will be beyond the Su family's control, and we'll all be at fate's mercy. The second point is actually a supplement to the first. There's only one chance. The Su family won't say, 'We still want something else, go prepare it.' So, try to get it all done at once. You should understand why these things have to be this way."

Having said all of this in one go, Ning Yi took a sip of tea. Wu Qilong placed his hands on the table, leaning back in his chair.

"The meaning is… my Wu family… will be at your mercy?"

"Different wording, but that's the meaning." Ning Yi pursed his lips, nodded, and deeply agreed with Wu Qilong's summary. "I think this is the most peaceful way. Of course, the situation is already in front of you, so you definitely won't feel good about it. But at this time… perhaps you should step back and look at the situation, like in chess. Since you're already in checkmate, you can't expect your opponent not to kill you. Once in checkmate, the next step is definitely to be taken. Can you understand that?"

Wu Qilong looked at Ning Yi as if he were a madman, opening his mouth several times but unable to say anything. Ning Yi also looked back frankly. After a moment, he nodded and murmured, "You understand. I'm really happy..."

Wu Qilong's voice was suppressed and low, almost enunciating each word: "One-third… if we give it to you, then the formula for the燦金錦 (Cànjīn jǐn, shimmering gold brocade)..."

"There's no formula." Ning Yi shook his head. "There's never been a correct formula from the beginning, because it discolored, that's why Tan'er fell ill at the time. You must have been feeling this psychological pressure these past few days. She had been researching for three years, and she was fighting alone. Su Boyong was also stabbed, so she collapsed."

"Then why should my Wu family give you this one-third?"

"Oh, it's not one-third. We need to clarify this first, so you can be mentally prepared. One-third is what the Su family wants… There is a way. At that time, the Su family will help the Wu family in the capital and Jiangning, because the news will be temporarily blocked, so others don't know that the Wu family has a problem. At that time..."

Ning Yi paused. "The Wu family proactively admits to a fine. First, take the money to grease palms at all levels, the Su family will cooperate. Second, proactively pay fines to be used as military expenses. Third, and most importantly..."

Ning Yi paused again. "You have to proactively take on several times the quota of tribute cloth (岁布, suì bù). Only this much will guarantee that the court won't confiscate the Wu family's assets, because even during war, tribute cloth is still needed, perhaps for the Jin Dynasty… This burden will be a bit heavy. Shrink the market, hand over the ordinary cloth you produce yourselves to the court. You can also buy more on the market. Also, as you know, Tan'er has recently improved the looms, increasing efficiency, so the Su family can also help with the tribute cloth, there will definitely be extra cloth coming out of there, and then you'll have a sales channel."

"So, one-third for the Su family, one-third for the various expenses to the court. I don't know if it's enough, but you can definitely handle it. Then, in the coming years, although the Wu family's market will continue to shrink, you've won the imperial merchant status. After a few years, you'll at least be the size of the Lü family, who used to be exclusively imperial merchants."

Wu Qilong's fist slammed on the table.

"It's hard to accept at first, I understand." Ning Yi was unmoved. "But what the upper echelons of the court are like, neither you nor I know. It's better to have one path than none, right? If it's the other path, yes, there's still a chance. Who knows if the discoloration problem can be solved? In any case, the Su family spent several years on it, and they've resigned themselves to fate. Su Tan'er also fell ill because of this. Maybe you're particularly lucky and you can solve the problem in a month or two. Ten days from now, you can gamble on this opportunity. We'll release the news according to plan, and Shopkeeper Liao will be active in the capital. In short, this is the general process. Perhaps there are other solutions I haven't thought of. By the way, does your family have any trustworthy relatives in the imperial family? I think you can ask them for help…"

"You…" Wu Qilong took a deep breath, pointing at Ning Yi. "You… now that you're the ones who want to put my Wu family to death, you're putting on an attitude that's none of your business and offering me ideas, ha…"

"You still don't understand?" This time, Ning Yi looked at him, frowning. "These things… are not child's play. Many times in the world, you'll feel like there are many, many choices, but in the end, you'll find that there's actually only one choice, and you just do it. Put your Wu family to death? Why do you say it so lightly? As if this is no different from someone hitting me with a brick? What do you want me to say?"

"This matter, you started it. You want to hear this? You can't do it this way. I warned you. You want to hear this? Or 'old friends still draw swords in parting, successful officials laugh at caps askew'? Uncle Wu framed that poem and took it home. He said at the time that this is how business is… You want to hear this? It's meaningless. From beginning to end, I never thought of telling you these things. I just want to tell you what the situation is now. As for why it became this way, that's something you need to reflect on later. Can saying this now solve the problem?"

"No one wants to target your Wu family. It's just that someone stabbed Su Boyong – oh, don't say this has nothing to do with you, that you didn't know. This is the most important thing – then you started thinking about becoming imperial merchants. The cloth discolored, and Su Tan'er fell ill. The Su family has a problem, and the follow-up is just about solving the problem. No one wants anyone to die, no one wants to kill anyone's family. Solve the problem, do things to the best possible extent. Solving the problem is like this."

"Before the cloth guild's annual meeting that night, no one knew it was you. It's just that whoever it was would have jumped in. Whether it was you or the Xue family, it's all the same. Now I'm telling you, there are two paths. First, your whole family lives. Second, your whole family dies. Do I need to tell you in detail how to choose? As for the Su family, like I said, since we're already in checkmate, the next step is obvious. Even if you were to choose, wouldn't it be clear at a glance?"

Having said this, Ning Yi's expression was actually serious, and then he shook his head and sighed.

"Going back to the beginning, I know this is difficult. It's hard to accept at first, everyone feels the same. Things happened too fast, the turn of events was too fast, and there's not much time for you to accept it. Also, you must be angry. Even if my whole family dies, I won't let you take advantage of me… Most people will even think like this at first. It's understandable, but one person can't come up with much. This matter is really too big, and there are many decisions to be made."

Ning Yi paused, looked at the sky outside, and then turned back to him sincerely. "It's getting late. I don't mind talking to you more here, but… it's better to go back earlier. You'll probably be very busy next. Sharing news, thinking of countermeasures. 'Ten thousand years is too long, seize the day, seize the hour.' These things can only be figured out when everyone is together. Don't waste time, every second counts."

He smiled as he finished speaking, looked at Wu Qilong's expression, and then picked up the book about chemistry next to him. On the opposite side, Wu Qilong pushed back his chair and stood up. Ning Yi remembered something and looked up. "Oh, this pot of tea is on me."

Wu Qilong stood for a few seconds, but ultimately didn't say anything. His face was probably a mess. He looked back as he was about to walk down the teahouse. Ning Yi was sitting there, already lowering his head to pick up a brush and continue writing and drawing, occasionally frowning in thought and recalling things, taking small sips of tea. The fierce killing intent of the previous words and the severity of the range and consequences it could affect, in his attitude, seemed no different from that outdated Persian chemistry booklet – a "so-so" thing.

It was still early in the afternoon, and the sunlight gathered that figure into the silhouette of the teahouse…

************

Are there any more monthly tickets? I'm quite familiar with Lao He, who's in ninth place, so… I want to explode He Changzai. I want to explode He Changzai. I want to explode He Changzai. I want to explode He Changzai… Haha, begging for votes!!! (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log in, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)