Chapter 295 Is Xie Ning'an tempted?
When Mr. Chai was in Lingnan, he always considered himself the top strategist under the King of Lingnan, and naturally he was arrogant. After arriving in the capital, he first contacted Uncle Qingshan and plotted to cause trouble for Bao Tianheng. Although it failed, compared with Uncle Qingshan, he did not doubt his own intelligence.
But now, looking at Xie Ning'an who seemed indifferent and didn't care about anything, and thinking about the setback he had suffered at Jiang Yu's hands, he began to doubt his own intelligence.
Xie Ning'an wasn't as calm as he appeared. He had a mission: to lure the Prince of Lingnan behind Mr. Chai into a trap. Although this was his first time doing something like this, he knew that forcing someone to do something isn't a good strategy.
“Young Master Xie knows best what his current situation is,” Mr. Chai said, putting himself on high alert. He understood that he couldn’t be careless with someone as shrewd as Xie Ning’an.
"Will I be alright if I cooperate with you?" Xie Ning'an retorted, her tone tinged with anger.
Seeing that he was emotional, Mr. Chai felt there was still room for discussion. He smiled and said, "Young Master, things have come to this point. Shouldn't you be thinking about how to change things?"
Xie Ning'an glanced at him but didn't say anything. Mr. Chai didn't take it to heart and continued, "Young Master is a smart man. Can the Duke of Chu and the person above really trust you? Young Master should understand that once some things are done, there is no turning back, no matter how hard you try."
Xie Ning'an remained silent, picking up her cup to continue sipping her tea, though a hint of annoyance lingered on her face. Seeing this, Mr. Chai raised the corners of his lips and pressed on, saying, "His Highness has always trusted your grandfather and the Xie family. Young Master, only by cooperating with His Highness can the Xie family rise again."
Xie Ning'an remained silent, but turned to look at him, appearing ready to listen attentively. Mr. Chai's lips curled into a wider smile. He leaned forward, closing the distance between himself and Xie Ning'an, and lowered his voice, saying, "Young Master endured humiliation and hardship to help the Duke of Chu stabilize the Xie family's banks and businesses. What was the result?"
Xie Ning'an lowered her eyes and remained silent, but her hands clenched into fists. Mr. Chai, who had seen everything, said, "Some people say that the Duke of Chu's purge of the Xie family members from Jufeng Money Shop and Trading Company was just an act."
At this point, his eyes were fixed on Xie Ning'an's face, not missing a single expression, and he continued, "But whether this rumor is true or not, I believe the outcome will be the same: there will be no more members of the Xie family in Jufeng Money Shop and Trading Company."
......
The room was quiet. Mr. Chai felt he had said what he needed to say, and now it was up to Xie Ning'an to decide what to do. He picked up his cup and drank his tea, his eyes never missing the expression on Xie Ning'an's face.
At this moment, Xie Ning'an no longer possessed his previous indifference and nonchalance; instead, his face was solemn. His hands were clenched tightly, as if he were struggling internally.
After an unknown amount of time, his voice rang out: "What does the King of Lingnan want to do?"
Mr. Chai did not answer his question, but instead asked, "Is it true that the eldest son is putting on an act with the Duke of Chu?"
Xie Ning'an looked at him and chuckled, "What do you think?"
Mr. Chai frowned. "Young Master, is the Prince's sincerity quite evident?"
Xie Ning'an looked at him and smiled mockingly, "The King of Lingnan's sincerity is to send you to talk to me?"
Mr. Chai: "......."
This means they want benefits, or they want to reveal their trump card.
After thinking for a while, Mr. Chai said, "Your Highness can introduce the eldest son to cooperate with the merchant caravans of the Southern Barbarians. The eldest son can then expand his business to the Southern Barbarians."
Xie Ning'an sneered at these words, leaning back to widen the distance between them. "Does the King of Lingnan think I'm a fool?"
"What do you mean by that, young master?" Mr. Chai asked, puzzled.
Xie Ning'an: "I have cooperated with the merchant caravans of the Southern Barbarians, which will make it easier for the King of Lingnan to push me out and say that I am colluding with other countries."
“This…this…” Mr. Chai had not expected Xie Ning’an to be so quick-witted. He said very seriously, “Young Master, you are overthinking it. That’s not what His Highness meant.”
"What does that mean?" Xie Ning'an asked impatiently. "If the King of Lingnan is not sincere, there's no point in discussing cooperation."
After saying that, he stood up and was about to leave. Mr. Chai quickly grabbed him, "Young Master, let's talk this out. His Highness really didn't mean it that way. If you mind, we can talk again."
Mr. Chai was now almost completely convinced that Xie Ning'an was dissatisfied with the Duke of Chu and the Emperor, and had considered seeking another way out. He pulled Xie Ning'an to sit down and said with a smile, "Your Highness has cooperated with the Xie family for many years, so naturally you will not treat them unfairly."
As he spoke, he took out a box and placed it on the tea table. After opening it, he took out a piece of paper and placed it in front of Xie Ning'an. "This is a four-courtyard house in the capital of the Western Kingdom. If one day the eldest young master no longer wants to live in the capital, he can move here."
In other words, if things are exposed one day, Xie Ning'an can move the Xie family to the Western Kingdom.
Xie Ning'an looked at the land deed without speaking, but the anger on her face had vanished. Mr. Chai then took out four more sheets of paper from the box and laid them out in a row. "These are four shops in the capital of the Western Kingdom, and there is also a plot of fertile land in the Western Kingdom."
Mr. Chai then took out two more pieces of paper from the box and placed them in front of Xie Ning'an. One was a land deed, and the other was a household registration certificate from the Western Kingdom. Xie Ning'an's name was clearly written on it, and the registered address was the capital city of the Western Kingdom.
“With the eldest son’s talent and learning, if he were to come here one day, he would surely achieve great things,” Mr. Chai said, pointing to the household registration documents.
Xie Ning'an remained silent, but her eyes seemed glued to the household registration documents. Mr. Chai smiled at this; not to mention the awkward Xie Ning'an, even he was quite tempted. With these, the Xie family could truly establish themselves in the Western Kingdom.
But is Xie Ning'an tempted?
No, not a single one.
Because he understood Jiang Yu, he knew that Jiang Yu wouldn't have been without a backup plan if he had made such a scheme. Moreover, the current strength of the Western Kingdom was no match for that of the Great Khan. If he really fled to the Western Kingdom, and one day the emperor dealt with the King of Lingnan, eliminating him would be as simple as issuing an edict.
Furthermore, with Jiang Yu's series of reforms, the nation's strength will become even greater in the future. What will a powerful nation do? Naturally, it will expand its territory. He believed that even if the emperor didn't have the idea of territorial expansion, Jiang Yu would, and so would the marshals and generals.
When that time comes, will the Western Kingdom still be the Western Kingdom?
However, while he thought this way, he still had to appear on the surface as if he was both excited and conflicted.
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