Yandu.
A heavily guarded courtyard house.
A graceful woman knelt on the ground, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Dad, my younger brother has gotten into a huge mess this time. Our whole family is in a panic. He's our only son. Please, for the sake of me bearing children for the Wu family, save my brother!"
The one kneeling on the ground was Qi Ming's eldest daughter, Qi Jun's older sister, Qi Mei.
The middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table took a deep breath and shook his head, saying, "Mei'er, it's not that your father doesn't want to help, but you know the current situation of our Wu family! Not only our Wu family, but our entire clan has had its power stripped by the Grand Secretary. Moreover, the Grand Secretary's attitude is very clear: he wants to target the south. At this critical juncture, how can I help you?"
Qi Mei sobbed, "Father-in-law, we are, after all, a noble family. It shouldn't be difficult for us to ask the Grand Secretary for some face, right? We'll accept the punishment if he deserves it, but it's the dead of winter now, and Shanghai is damp and cold. My brother is being paraded outside and whipped. How can his body withstand that? My father and grandfather only want to save his life!"
"Mei'er..."
"Dad! I beg you! Although Wu Dao is in trouble, I, Qi Mei, as his daughter-in-law, have always worked diligently. During the most difficult time for the Wu family, I often helped them out from my own family. When my family's real estate business ran into trouble, I didn't involve my husband's family in the slightest. I even gave birth to a child for the Wu family! Dad, the Wu family is, after all, a powerful clan, and they will rise again sooner or later. But my Qi family only has my younger brother as a bloodline. If anything happens to him, our Qi family line will end! Dad, please, for the sake of your daughter-in-law who has single-handedly supported this family, even if she hasn't done anything great, she has still worked hard. Please help our Qi family!" Qi Mei said with tears in her eyes.
That's right, Qi Mei is Wu Dao's beloved wife.
Now, Wu Dao has lost his official position and is in prison, and Wu Tiande, the head of the Wu family, is also in the hospital.
The Wu family members weren't good at running a business, so Qi Mei, their daughter-in-law, was the one who took care of everything, big and small.
Even if they didn't achieve great things, they certainly put in a lot of hard work!
For a moment, Wu Sen really couldn't refuse.
He thought for a moment and said, "Well then, I'll go to the hospital tonight and ask your grandfather what he has to say!"
Qi Mei nodded repeatedly and quickly presented a painting. "Dad, this is a painting of a tiger descending the mountain that my grandfather has always treasured. I heard that Grandpa likes Tang Bohu's works. If you give it to him, he will be very happy!"
Wu Sen nodded. "Good child, we're family, no need to be so polite. I'll go see your grandfather now!"
Late at night, Wu Sen took the calligraphy and paintings and went directly to the high-end sanatorium of Harmony Hospital.
In a luxurious hospital room, an elderly man was sitting cross-legged in meditation.
Wu Sen tiptoed in, "Dad!"
"You're here? Please have a seat!"
"Yes, Dad!"
"What are you holding in your hand?"
"A Tiger Descending the Mountain"!
"oh?"
Wu Tiande opened his eyes, looked at him, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. "Has something happened to the Qi family?"
"How did you know?" Wu Sen asked, his face showing surprise.
Wu Tiande said calmly, "Do you think this is just a painting?"
Wu Sen stared blankly, somewhat puzzled.
Wu Tiande explained, “Five hundred years ago, there was a dock gang in Jiangdong called the Tiger Gang. They were in charge of the canal transport in Jiangnan and their power was so great that they could even rival the government! The government was extremely troubled by this and sent many capable generals to suppress the bandits, but to no avail. In the end, they had no choice but to grant the Tiger Gang the authority to manage the southern bank of the Grand Canal, extending to the Jiangdong area, on behalf of the court. At that time, Jiangdong controlled half of the waterways of the Great Xia Dynasty. Later, dynasties changed, but the Tiger Gang was always used by the government. Even now, they still have a great influence!”
Wu Sen suddenly realized, "Dad, I understand now. So, the Tiger Gang is the predecessor of the Qi family of Jiangdong?"
Wu Tiande nodded. "You're right! The Qi family made their fortune through the Grand Canal. Although the Grand Canal isn't as lucrative now, it's a steady and reliable business! Moreover, the Qi family still has its foundation, with connections spanning half of Jiangnan. If you take over this network and combine it with power, do you know what that means?"
Wu Sen's eyes widened suddenly: "That means my Wu family will have a steady stream of income in the future, and we can make a fortune in silence!"
With power in their hands, the Wu family could easily expand the grain transport business with just a few government orders!
Even if they decline one day, they can still make a living by relying on the steady income from the canal transport business.
Wu Tiande nodded. "You're right. The reason I agreed to Dao'er's marriage was because I saw the potential value of the Qi family! Their relationship with Feidong was just a bonus!"
Wu Tiande stroked the calligraphy and painting in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the Qi family is making a statement to me that they will hand over this canal transport business in the future!"
"Dad, what do you think? Should we help the Qi family this time? Lin Yu has already made it to Shanghai, and he's got that Qi kid under his thumb!" Wu Sen asked.
Wu Tiande said calmly, "We definitely need to help, but we need to know how! Do you think we, the Wu family, can bring down that brat Lin Yu with our current strength?"
Wu Sen smiled bitterly, "That's definitely impossible. If Dao'er had been able to control the Floating Pagoda Army back then, our Wu family would not be in this situation today. But now..."
Wu Tiande's lips curled up slightly. "Don't be discouraged. During this period, I've been living here and have reflected on myself a lot! In my whole life, I've valued power too much!"
Life is full of disappointments, and the more you care about something, the more likely you are to stumble in that area!
"The Wu family's defeat last time was not due to a lack of skill or Dao'er's fault, but simply because I failed to assess the situation!"
"I underestimated the Grand Secretary and the Divine Blood's determination!" Wu Dao couldn't help but exclaim.
Wu Sen couldn't help but frown. "Then according to you, we can't help the Qi family even more!"
"wrong!"
Wu Tiande slowly lowered his head, his eyes deep, and said, "There is a hexagram in the I Ching called 'The dragon soars too high and regrets it!' No one can have smooth sailing forever. This kid has been playing around from north to south, and his luck has come to an end! You should know that now, it's not just our Wu family that wants him dead! The aristocratic families, Feidong, the ancient martial arts world, and all sorts of forces—if they were to unite now, do you think a mere child like him could withstand this decisive battle?"
Wu Tiande's old body trembled, as if his spirit was shaking.
After leaving the cabinet, he remained there recuperating from illness.
We've been waiting for this opportunity.
This opportunity is to wait until Lin Yu makes enemies everywhere and becomes so arrogant that he can't be controlled anymore!
At this point, he must be surrounded by enemies on all sides!
People who would otherwise never unite will inevitably unite for a common good.
This is what they call timing!
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