Chapter 139: Hide it in a Golden House
Outside the county city, in the night wind, on the official road.
Even though Sun Zhiye tried his best to suppress his inner fury, his expression still inevitably revealed a bit of viciousness. His eyes involuntarily looked in the direction where the carriage left, and thinking of Lu Mingchao's calm and somewhat nonchalant smile, the heat in his heart became even stronger than before.
"Young Master, are you still going to Mr. Zhang's residence?"
Tian Dong held a white lantern, bent down and looked at the broken wheel. After confirming that there was no way to continue the journey, he stood up and walked to Sun Zhiye's side and asked respectfully.
Not sure if it was an auditory hallucination, Tian Dong vaguely heard the eldest master's breathing, which was deep, heavy and rapid.
Maybe the eldest son was too angry.
Thinking of this, Tiandong lowered his head even more.
Sun Zhiye's eyes were still fixed on the dark night ahead. "No need to go anymore. Cheng Zhi's private debauchery was definitely not fabricated by Lu Mingchao."
Cheng Zhi was indeed a bad move that was beyond his expectations.
This is the true meaning of "you can't judge a person by his appearance" and "you can't judge the depth of the sea by its size".
"Young Master, isn't Ding Lulei's plan to commit fraud going to come to naught?" Tian Dong frowned, his voice rising uncontrollably.
Tian Dong could hardly remember how high-spirited the eldest young master was when he had the upper hand. If he had known this would happen, he should have persuaded the eldest young master to choose to stay in the capital.
In the silent night, even the faintest sound can be heard clearly.
“It’s not all in vain.”
“It’s like a drop of ink accidentally falling on rice paper, or mud accidentally splashing on a white robe. Although the rice paper and the robe itself are not damaged, it is ultimately difficult to cover up the flaws left behind.”
"Lu Lei once discussed marriage with the dissolute Cheng Zhi, and then got caught up in a scandal of seduction. This experience is like the ink on clean rice paper being stained by mud, and the flawless white robe being stained with a flaw."
Sun Zhiye sighed lightly and exhaled a breath of white air that dissipated in the night wind.
"But……"
Sun Zhiye raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced at Tian Dong. "Weren't you trying to persuade me to make peace with Lu Mingchao a few days ago?"
Tian Dong was surprised. "Did the eldest master change his mind?"
Sun Zhiye smiled bitterly and said nothing.
He lowered his head slightly, opened his teeth slowly, and asked in a deep voice, "Tian Dong, if I want to raise a rebellious, arrogant and conceited bird, how can I tame it and make it obedient and obedient?"
Tiandong was stunned.
How did the topic suddenly turn to raising and taming birds?
The eldest son is worthy of being the eldest son. When the Sun family was in decline, the eldest son still had the elegance of raising birds.
After thinking for a moment, Tian Dong said softly, "My Lord, there are two ways."
"First, the bird is imprisoned in a golden cage, depriving it of its ability to find food and survive independently, making it unable to adapt to the environment outside the golden cage."
"Secondly, we can learn from the method of training eagles in the grasslands. Through continued patience and perseverance, we can gradually eliminate its wild and unruly nature until it is successfully tamed. In this way, the originally fierce and unruly eagle will remain loyal to the eldest master."
Sun Zhiye frowned, his eyes twinkling.
Regardless of the method, the prerequisite for taming is that he must be in an absolute advantage.
The reality is sad.
"Tiandong, unload the carriage and ride back to the city." Sun Zhiye ordered calmly.
"Early tomorrow morning, send someone to deliver a letter to Zhang Sheng, asking him to give me a reasonable explanation."
…
The next day.
The Changhe County Bookstore, Teahouse and Tavern are extremely busy.
When the wake-up stick was struck, guests from the north and south were all startled; when the storytelling began, all matters from the east and the west were included in the conversation.
People brew a pot of tea, prepare a plate of melon seeds, and enjoy a leisurely afternoon in the teahouse.
As a result of insinuations, the grain stored in Sunji warehouse became damp and moldy, and the eldest son Sun's attempt to push his subordinates as scapegoats became increasingly serious.
The partners that Sun Zhiye had managed to maintain by offering concessions recently have once again unilaterally tore up their contracts.
The rice and grain stored in the warehouse could not be sold, and the hidden danger of tens of thousands of taels of silver being withdrawn from the account broke out at this moment, making the already dire situation even worse.
"Master, why don't you sell the rice in the warehouse that hasn't gotten wet at a very low price and take whatever you can get back."
"Otherwise, as time goes by, the money will be unable to circulate, the money chain will be broken, and Sun Ji will be in danger." Chuan Bai was so anxious that his forehead was sweating and his mouth was blistered.
No business can remain standing after repeated turmoil.
Especially the most unsolvable reputation crisis.
He seemed to have foreseen the scene where the huge Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall was about to collapse.
"What happens after the return?" Perhaps because the future prospects were as uncertain as smoke and fog, Sun Zhiye instead became more calm and composed, letting things take their course.
However, it is difficult to tell whether this calmness is superficial or comes from the heart.
Sun Zhiye finished adding the last stroke to the portrait, then looked up at Chuanbai and said to Chuanbai, "If you are a citizen who does not know the truth, and you heard that Sun Ji is selling its reserve grain at a low price, what would you think first, is this grain of good quality, or is it just rice that has been screened out due to moisture?"
Chuanbai's breathing stagnated.
The answer is obvious.
Seeing Chuan Bai's sudden realization, Sun Zhiye continued, "So, your suggestion is not feasible."
Chuanbai bowed his head and said, "I am short-sighted and cannot be as far-sighted as you, young master."
"But, are we just going to do nothing?"
Sun Zhiye leaned back in his chair, eyes slightly narrowed, as if he was concentrating on thinking or looking at the portrait that did not depict his facial features.
“It’s impossible to do nothing.”
"I am in a dilemma, whether to risk my life and survive, or to save my life and start anew, slowly working on it."
Chuanbai was confused. "I don't understand the deeper meaning of this."
Sun Zhiye rubbed his brows lightly, his eyes flashed with a gleam of brilliance, and he said in a deep voice, "Chuanbai, have you ever thought that burning all the grain in the warehouse in public can also be a very clever way to break the deadlock?"
“This is what it means to survive after risking one’s life.”
"If handled properly, Sun Kee's reputation crisis can be resolved immediately, and it can also turn the crisis into an opportunity and create a new situation just like Chaofu Grain Store did when it dealt with the poisonous rice."
This was the solution he came up with after staying up all night analyzing and thinking about Lu Mingchao's consistent style of doing things.
He even felt that if Lu Mingchao were in his shoes, he would definitely do the same.
Lu Mingchao had the courage to buy this insurance!
Chuanbai pursed his lips, his brows were wrinkled so tightly that they could pinch a fly to death, and he hesitated.
"Just say what you want to say. No need to be hesitant." Sun Zhiye remained expressionless.
Chuanbai raised his eyes and said, "In the autumn, the master arranged for the shopkeepers to buy a large amount of rice in the villages and towns around Changhe County, just to hoard it and then raise the price to make a profit. If all the rice was burned because of a grain cellar, the loss would be too heavy."
"My Lord, Sun Ji's account is already in a very bad state."
Even if you are put to death, you may not be able to survive.
Sun Zhiye murmured in a low voice, "Yes, even if you put yourself in danger, you may not be able to survive."
Looking over thousands of years of history, how many people could fight to the death and win a complete victory?
The vast majority of people died and never rose again.
Calculate the sucker