Chapter 138: Three Powers, Each with Their Own Agenda
It took more than a month to rebuild the headquarters at Pier 12.
By the time the surroundings returned to normal, the temperature had dropped suddenly and the weather started to get cold.
The bearded man stood outside the stone fortress, looking at the twelve newly erected watchtowers. He showed no joy on his face, and his eyes were filled with even more viciousness.
He knew that everything he saw was just superficial splendor, and Pier 12 was no longer as powerful as before.
Du Buniu did not stop there and continued to cause chaos at the docks along the Qing River, causing him to suffer continuous losses.
All the goods that were burned that night were also on the compensation list.
Fortunately, we decided to temporarily detain the goods shipped by Baifu and leave them in Yuncheng instead of shipping them back. Otherwise—
"Boss, this is bad! We've heard from Yuncheng that the dock warehouse suddenly caught fire for some unknown reason, and all the goods stored inside have been burned!" The head of a branch helm hurried over, his face pale. "Also, the Bai family just sent a letter with... a cargo list attached. The total value of the goods they shipped is forty thousand taels. According to industry regulations, we must compensate them for eighty thousand taels."
The hall master could hardly finish the last three words.
Adding together the losses of the Bai family and the losses of other customers, the Twelve Piers alone would have to pay out a total of one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty thousand taels of silver!
Add to that the cost of rebuilding the headquarters...it wouldn't be enough even if we destroyed the headquarters all at once!
The bearded man's beard trembled as he breathed rapidly, his eyes filled with a sinister intensity so intense it almost froze. "The cargo the Bai family is shipping this time is nothing more than some common cosmetics, fabrics, and stale rice! Three thousand taels at most! Worth forty thousand taels? That Bai Kui saw my Twelve Piers fall from power and wants to take advantage of the situation to rob me? You're just dreaming!"
The first hall master lowered his head and said in a trembling voice, "In addition to those items, the list attached by the Bai family also includes one more item... It's an antique exquisite ball that the Bai Kuitu people found. It's worth 37,000 taels of silver."
A sweet taste suddenly gushed out of the bearded man's mouth, but he swallowed it down with all his might. "Letter!"
The letter from the Bai Mansion was immediately handed to him.
The bearded man unfolded the letter. There were only a few words on it, but it was like stabbing several knives into his back.
—Big Beard, I'm not being unjust. Back then, the cargo at the Twelve Pier headquarters was burned, and I, out of respect for our friendship, didn't immediately demand payment. Now, over a month has passed, and business matters are business, the items are truly valuable, and I can't afford to shirk this debt. The things I painstakingly bought for my son were burned, and with no explanation from Boss Hu, I'm losing sleep. I hope the compensation note will be delivered to the Bai residence within the next two or three days. I'll be waiting.
——Also, I was shocked to hear that the Yuncheng warehouse at the Twelve Pier was also burned down. Things are unpredictable. Boss Hu, please accept my condolences.
"Bai! Kui!" After reading the letter, the bearded man's eyes went dark and he almost fainted. The blood and energy suppressed in his throat gushed out. "Bai, Bai Xiaofeng! These two actually teamed up to trick me. Good, good, good!"
He had just learned about the burning of the Yuncheng warehouse, but the letter Bai Kui attached had already revealed the news before him!
The fire in Yuncheng was started by Bai Kui!
He personally burned his own goods and then took advantage of the situation to rob him!
What antique worth tens of thousands of taels? What exquisite ball! The goods were destroyed, and Bai Kui took advantage of him and said he couldn't verify it, so he asked for a huge price!
And Bai Xiaofeng!
The shipping routes of the Twelve Piers have always been well-planned. It is difficult for outsiders to know at which pier the goods will dock during the journey. However, what is difficult for others to know is not difficult for Bai Xiaofeng!
It was Bai Xiaofeng who told Bai Kui that his goods were detained in Yuncheng!
The two of them teamed up to trick him!
"Go and raise some money..." Biting his tongue hard again to force himself to stay awake, the bearded man gasped and gave the order.
"Boss——"
"Go! Otherwise, next time, Bai Kui and Bai Xiaofeng will team up and attack me directly at Pier 12!"
The bearded man roared again, his voice hoarse, his sinister eyes were red and creepy, and his forehead and neck were full of blue veins from suppressed anger.
He didn't want to pay, but this time he had to take the loss!
Turning his gaze towards Fengyun City, the bearded man's eyes were filled with hatred.
…
Fengyun City, Wangque Tower.
Bai Kui, dressed in black, sat in a private room on the second floor. He ordered a table full of delicious dishes and went upstairs to taste some good wine. He felt so happy.
His mood improved, so he invited the butler who was accompanying him to sit down and drink with him.
"The master is in a good position this time. The bearded man has to take the loss even though he knows it's a loss." The butler laughed so hard that his eyes almost disappeared.
How could I not be happy when I received 80,000 taels of compensation for goods worth less than 3,000 taels?
What a windfall!
Bai Kui drank half a jar of wine, his face reeking of alcohol. He laughed heartily, "It's not that simple. Bai Xiaofeng and Big Beard had a rift for some reason, and he deliberately leaked the news to me, hoping to stir up trouble between the Bai family and the Twelve Wharfs, forcing me to fight Big Beard so he could escape. Do you think I'm stupid? I'll just turn the tables on him and drag him down with me. You think you can sit back and watch the fight? Humph."
The housekeeper complimented him again, "The master of the house is the master of the house. This old servant is in awe of him!"
"Big Beard knows how to assess the situation. He thinks I've truly joined forces with Bai Xiaofeng. If he wants Pier Twelve to have some time to recuperate, he'll have to give me the 80,000 taels. Hahaha! Your letter is well written. I'll give you a 5 tael reward at the end of the month!"
"Thank you, Master!"
Bai Kuicui ate the food with big mouthfuls, drank the wine with big gulps, and generously threw a hundred taels of silver in the Wangque Tower.
We drank in the afternoon until sunset, and it was already dusk when we walked out of the private room.
At the corner of the corridor, he bumped into a man in a moon-colored robe who was walking leisurely up from downstairs.
Bai Kui glared at him and laughed heartily as he walked over to him. "Master Bai, what a coincidence! I came here for a meal and ran into you. It's a pity I just finished my meal and was about to leave. Otherwise, I could have invited you to have a few drinks with me. The Xiangqionglu, which is unique to Wangque Tower, is truly a fine wine!"
Bai Xiaofeng walked up the stairs slowly and stood with Bai Kui at the entrance of the narrow corridor. Their eyes met, and he smiled warmly, "Master Bai, you are too kind. It's just that I came back at an unfortunate time. If I had known that Master Bai was coming to honor you, I would have waived your drinks today."
"No, no, no, business is business. Of course you have to pay for a meal. I just happened to make a lot of money today, so a meal is no problem. Hahaha!"
"Then you are welcome to patronize Master Bai more often in the future, so that I can earn more money for burning incense."
"Sure, sure! I'll definitely come!"
"please."
"please!"
After a few pleasantries, the two passed each other, one going upstairs and the other going downstairs.
After they passed each other, the smiles on their faces immediately disappeared and they gritted their teeth secretly.
When Bai Xiaofeng reached the upper floor, his eyes swept down below, and he flicked his wide sleeves. "You're playing dumb, smiling but hiding a dagger. How dare you try to trick me? You'll see what happens to you!"
After leaving the restaurant, Bai Kui turned around and glanced upstairs, seemingly unintentionally. "Hmph, you're a sly but clever stab in the back. Do you think I'll fall for your tricks? I'll give you a fight!"
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