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Silk, salt, tea and grain are all among the most profitable businesses in the world, and Yuhang has all of them. Not to mention the maritime trade, which is a business worth millions. This is because Yuhang's business is different from other places. There are many guilds and wealthy families. Every day, countless silver flows under the water, which makes the brothels, restaurants and pleasure boats do a booming business, with singing and dancing day and night. Even when the world is in chaos, it has never shown any signs of fatigue.
However, some people come to such places for fun, while others have no intention of having fun at all.
As soon as he stepped into the house, Zhou Zhenglun sighed, "I thought someone was setting me up, but who would have thought Mingde would actually go back to Yuhang."
Lu Jian had already come forward and asked with a smile, "Why, Brother Shenxing, don't you want me to come back?"
Zhou Zhenglun snorted, "You've done so many great things, if your aunt knew about it, she would probably send someone to assassinate you."
The Lu and Zhou families were both prominent Jiangdong families, and they were related by marriage. It was common for Zhou Zhenglun to call Madam Lu "Aunt." However, since he had dared to seek him out, Lu Jian was completely confident that he would not reveal his whereabouts. He simply smiled and said, "Why wait for me to return? Can't we still do it from a thousand miles away?"
Zhou Zhenglun's expression suddenly turned serious: "Has it really come to this?"
Lu Jian chuckled: "How do you think the Lu family's ocean-going fleet disappeared?"
Zhou Zhenglun was secretly shocked. News of the Lu family's ocean-going fleet being taken over had now spread throughout Yuhang. This was wealth accumulated over generations. Not to mention the damaged ships and lost routes, the loss of talent alone was enough to cause heartache for a prominent family. Rumors had it that Madam Lu had even used her savings to purchase goods, only to lose it all in a flash. This was truly a feud that would never end. The escalation of this fratricidal feud was truly astonishing to outsiders.
But sighing aside, he still had to ask. Zhou Zhenglun frowned and said, "Then you must have something big in mind when you come back this time. Are you planning to wait for your uncle to return so you can fight for the family business?"
As they were playmates since childhood, Zhou Zhenglun knew Lu Jian's temper better than anyone else. Don't be fooled by his gentle face, he was extremely vindictive and his methods were very cruel. Now the Lu family was at a disadvantage in the matter of the crown prince, and Mrs. Lu's family was involved in the chaos of the succession struggle. Lord Lu's position as a minister was definitely hopeless, and he might be dismissed from office soon and leave the chaos in the capital early.
If Lu Jian took advantage of this opportunity, he might be able to regain his position in the Lu clan. After all, he was the eldest son of the family and could maintain his status. Moreover, there were rumors that Lu Jian had a close relationship with the Red Flag Gang. Compared to Madam Lu, whose family background had already declined, he might be able to compete with her.
Unexpectedly, as soon as these words came out, Lu Jian smiled sarcastically: "If it's just to inherit the family business, why bother with so much trouble? What I want is to make my father lose his current position."
Zhou Zhenglun was stunned, his face changing slightly. The previous Lu clan leader had died young, leaving their official position shaky. Lu Jian's father, Lu Jun, had been the pillar of the current generation. Losing his official position would be one thing, but losing his position as clan leader would be a complete disaster.
But would he be able to obtain the position of clan leader by doing so? Considering Lu Jian's age, it would be extremely difficult to do so. Such an effort would only harm others and not benefit himself.
But looking at Lu Jian's expression, Zhou Zhenglun knew he was serious, and he couldn't help but swallow his saliva. It seemed that the internal strife within the Lu family was more serious than he had imagined.
Lu Jian didn't let Zhou Zhenglun back down. Instead, he said, "Every family is vying for territory these days. If the Lu family shows signs of weakness, there will be no shortage of people taking advantage of it. Brother Shenxing, do you really have no plans?"
Zhou Zhenglun stared at him for a long time, and finally sighed: "What is Mingde going to do?"
Of course he was interested. Even though the Lu and Zhou clans were both powerful families in Jiangdong, when it came to vying for territory and population, neither would yield an inch. In today's chaotic world, having more strength would give one a little more confidence to protect themselves in troubled times. Who wouldn't want to take advantage of someone else's misfortune and kick them when they're down?
Seeing his answer, Lu Jian knew the matter was settled and said with a smile, "The three largest businesses of the Lu family are grain, maritime trade, and raw silk. Now that the sea routes are cut off and the granaries are no longer safe, the only thing left is raw silk."
This casual remark made Zhou Zhenglun's heart skip a beat. The previous turmoil in Tingzhou had destroyed the Lu family's fertile farmland, nearly leading to a complete crop failure. Could it be that Lu Jian was also behind this? He really wanted to destroy his own family! He was right, though. With two of their three legs cut off, the Lu family's only remaining support now was probably the raw silk trade. Just wanting to make a living from raw silk in Yuhang wasn't as easy as he had imagined.
"With the South China Sea pacified and the Long Whale Gang driven away, the price of raw silk will likely remain high this year. Every family depends on raw silk for their livelihood, so it won't be easy to suppress it." Zhou Zhenglun spoke frankly. Raw silk is a big business. Many wealthy families in Jiangdong have converted grain fields into mulberry fields just to produce more silk and earn greater profits. With war raging between the north and the south, maritime trade may be the only profitable business. We must not allow anyone to disrupt the market easily.
Lu Jian said, "Who said I want to suppress the price of silk? Since the Lu family can only rely on raw silk now, it is natural to drive up the price of silk and let them place a heavy bet on it."
Zhou Zhenglun was stunned: "Isn't this just asking for trouble?"
"Brother Shenxing may not know that air-to-air transactions are popular in Panyu now. You can place an order first and then deliver the goods when the time comes. Raw silk is not on the market yet. If we drive up the price first, will anyone be tempted to sign a contract?" Lu Jian had no intention of hiding anything from his partners and told them his plan directly.
"Are you talking about the bank trading floor?" Zhou Zhenglun had also heard the news from Panyu and scoffed at this air-to-air transaction. Without physical goods in stock, the risks were too unpredictable. And since it was going through sea trade, what if the owner showed up empty-handed? While this approach might not work in other situations, it was a tough sell for the Jiangdong aristocracy. Money was a powerful motivator, and reputation was highly valued. How could the Lu family possibly go back on their word? Once they were trapped and the contract signed, failure to deliver could lead to ruin and heavy losses. Others wouldn't dare to try this, but with Lu Jian, the odds were stacked against them.
He immediately understood the twists and turns, and Zhou Zhenglun almost sighed for Lord Lu. How could such a smart son be raised to be so disloyal?
Lu Jian smiled and said, "Brother Shenxing, what do you think of this method?"
Zhou Zhenglun glanced at him and sighed, "There is room for maneuver, but it's not easy to do it openly."
They were all from prominent families, and they were related by marriage, so how could they openly deceive others? Lu Jian himself was not in a position to show his face in public, so someone had to do it in secret.
"Don't worry about that. This time I'm accompanied by a Mr. Fang. He's a descendant of the Fang family in Panyu. His family runs a silk business and needs a large amount of raw silk. If he comes forward, I'm not afraid those people won't take the bait." Lu Jian smiled slightly, "Brother Shenxing, please bring him in front of others to facilitate this matter."
If one wanted to break into the circle of aristocratic families, one had to have a guide. As a direct descendant of the Zhou family, he was the perfect candidate. However, Zhou Zhenglun frowned, "Is this person reliable?"
Such a big thing cannot be allowed to be messed up by a young boy. Once the news leaks out or he is not careful enough, even he will be implicated.
"His family has shares in the big weaving factory in Panyu." Lu Jian answered casually.
Could it be that the Red Flag Gang built the large weaving mill? In just a moment, Zhou Zhenglun figured out who was behind this. It seemed that the Red Flag Gang wanted to expand their territory in Yuhang, and Lu Jian must have made some promise to get their help.
However, the background behind this made Zhou Zhenglun feel relieved.
After all, the Red Flag Gang dominated the South China Sea. In the future, when doing business in Nanyang and Jiaozhi, it would be necessary to make friends with them. This would not only make friends with the bigwigs on the sea, but also swallow up part of the Lu family's territory, and even help Lu Jian get promoted to the top of the family. This would give him an additional ally to stand by him. Naturally, this deal could be done.
Zhou Zhenglun then laughed and said, "Mingde has entrusted me with this, and I will do my best."
Seeing that he agreed, Lu Jian also laughed.
It’s a pity that there is no “Mr. Fang” coming with him, so all his methods will depend on how that person performs.
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