Chapter 148 A Matter of Life and Death
After seeing off the Wen couple, Xie Yuduo and Shen Qi sat opposite each other in the study and discussed for a long time.
In three years, the Xie family can come up with 80 million taels of silver.
This was the hard work of half of Xie Yuduo's life, and most of his wealth. If he had obeyed orders and handed it over, he could indeed save his wife and children, escape unscathed, and even return to the small Pingshan County to live a prosperous life.
But when the business reached this point, the 80 million silver coins were not in the warehouse in the backyard of his Xie family, but in every business line that was running day and night, in the Xie family shops in thousands of cities, in the homes of tens of thousands of Xie family managers, stewards, and clerks... and even in the pockets of business friends from all corners of the world.
If he took on the heavy responsibility at this time and took out 8,000 taels of silver as military pay, he could withdraw, but he would inevitably be seriously injured, and half a life's work would be wasted, and it would be impossible to make a comeback in the future.
But if he resolutely refused to take it and simply turned down the job... In fact, from the moment the old prime minister opened his mouth, he had no chance to say no.
In the study, the old prime minister sincerely advised him with the interests of the country and the family, saying that the merits would be immediate and the benefits would last for generations to come, and his words were extremely earnest.
But in the backyard garden, Princess Pingyang intended to promote his wife and children, and adopted little Ming'er as her adopted daughter... Not taking Ming'er away to raise her was already a decent move.
She didn't take Ming'er away on the spot, but let the Xie family know that she could take him away at any time.
One is bright and the other is dark, one is yin and the other is yang, they can be hard or soft, they can be rewarded or punished.
What a good plan! What a good method!
The prime minister of the dynasty and the princess regent are indeed the top figures in the government.
He can't say no.
From that day on, Xie Yuduo never returned to the backyard.
He wrote personal letters to more than a dozen of his confidants, including Xiaowu, overnight, and ordered people to deliver them quickly and rush to the capital to discuss matters.
Afterwards, he recruited a dozen trusted shop managers from the capital and sent capable servants to invite them separately. They came overnight and gathered in the hall of the Xie family's outer study to hold a meeting.
This meeting lasted for more than twenty days.
Xie Yuduo worked day and night without taking off his clothes, discussing, planning and deducing with different groups of people.
How can I get out of this unscathed?
Amidst the clamor of the crowd, Xie Yuduo sat in the main seat, silently listening to everyone put forward one proposal after another.
Some people advocated taking drastic measures, closing down several business lines that accounted for the most silver, raising 80 million taels of silver as soon as possible, delivering it to the court on time, and overcoming this crisis as soon as possible. After that, they could reorganize the business and gradually recover their vitality.
Some people advocated a gradual approach, using defense as offense, raising a small amount of silver to pay military wages while proposing self-serving conditions to the court, delaying the delivery time as much as possible, and slowly wearing away the pressure from the court.
Some people decided to make a concerted effort and, under the banner of the imperial court, took the opportunity to expand their industry. After their business doubled, they could use the extra profits to offset the heavy blow suffered by the military pay belt.
…
The crowds were noisy and the arguments continued day and night.
There was a constant flow of cars and horses at the entrance of Qingyun Street, and people were always discussing matters in the study in front. The tea room in the back house of the Xie family was always serving tea, and the kitchen was also serving meals on time.
Chen Qi watched carefully and saw that as more and more people came to discuss the matter, the refreshing tea became stronger and stronger, but not much food was consumed for the three meals.
This matter was truly a matter of life and death. Everyone had been arguing and bickering until they were hoarse. They had drunk enough strong tea to stay awake and had no appetite or desire to eat.
One day, Chen Qi watched the servants bring back some uneaten food, and counted on her fingers that she had not seen Xie Yuduo for more than ten days.
That night, when it was late and quiet, Ming'er still couldn't sleep, so he asked his maid to hold a lamp and go look for his mother.
Chen Qi was also awake, thinking hard under the lamp. When he saw his daughter coming over, he took her in his arms.
"Ming'er, why aren't you sleeping yet?"
Huai Ming clung to his mother's arms.
"Mom, I haven't seen Dad for a long time."
Since the day she was born, she has been the apple of Xie Yuduo's eye, doted on. Even after she had her younger brother Xie Huailang, she was still loved by him the least.
Chen Qi felt a pang in her heart and stroked her black hair.
"Dad is busy doing something big. If he succeeds, he will be a great hero in this world."
Xie Huaiming raised his almond-shaped eyes and looked at his mother with tears in his eyes.
"But if...if..."
This little girl was so worried that Chen Qi couldn't help but hug her tightly.
"Don't worry. Your father always has plans in mind. If he says it can be done, it will definitely be done. If it can't be done...we are a family, and we are a family wherever we go."
"Mother, that day...should I have agreed to be the princess's goddaughter?"
Chen Qi sighed softly and comforted her guilty daughter with a warm embrace.
"This is an adult matter, and has nothing to do with you. Whether you agree or not, these things...will happen. Just ask your heart, do you really like that princess?"
Huai Ming nodded, then shook his head.
"I... still like mother the most."
Chen Qi felt warm in her heart and kissed her daughter's forehead with a smile.
After sending her daughter back to sleep, Chen Qi pondered for a long time under the lamp, but still couldn't feel at ease, so she went to the study alone without taking the maid.
In the front hall of the study, silver candles were shining and the lights were on. The stewards coming from all directions were still arguing and talking loudly, and the quarrels were heard one after another.
In the small bedroom at the back, Xie Yuduo was taking a nap on the low couch in the small bedroom in the study.
He discussed matters with everyone for a long time and could not hold on any longer, so Xiao Wu persuaded him to come back and rest for an hour or two.
Shen Qi quietly sat beside the couch and looked at his appearance carefully.
She had been looking at this face for many years - when they got married, he was only twenty-four years old, and now he was thirty-five.
He was thinner and looked tired, and even in his sleep late at night, his brows were slightly furrowed.
Chen Qi couldn't help but sigh in her heart - if she had known this would happen, what would she have wanted to have such a huge fortune? It would have been better for them to go back to Pingshan County together, and he would continue to be his Second Master Xie, and she would be his Second Madam Shen.
Even if the two of them returned to the small town of Baihe and ran a small woolen shop together like their parents and raised their children, it would be better than living on the edge of a knife.
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