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They were all on the same boat, even if it was a three-masted ship, they would see each other every now and then. Seeing that the two of them spent more and more time together and often talked about some elegant things outside of official business, it was inevitable that people would imagine.
As a female soldier, Huang Yue was chosen to follow the gang leader this time because of her suitable stature, good looks, and attentiveness. She was nominally a personal maid, but in fact, she was also a personal guard. It can be said that she achieved her goal before her good friend Shi Hao.
However, he made up his mind to protect the gang leader and to achieve success like his good friend.
Unexpectedly, before even starting the mission, she saw this scene, which left Huang Yue speechless and suffocated. This was the first time she saw the gang leader interact with men. Was it like this for everyone, or just for the noble and imposing Mr. Lu?
After holding it in for a few days, she couldn't hold it in any longer, so she secretly found Lin Mo and asked him.
"Is the gang leader interested in Mr. Lu?" When Lin Mo heard his subordinate ask this, his expression did not change, and he just repeated it calmly.
Huang Yue couldn't help but shrink her neck at this tone, and whispered: "I, I just don't know how to deal with it..."
"What are you dealing with, Mr. Lu?" Lin Mo did not answer and continued to ask.
This question made Huang Yue feel a little nervous, and she was speechless.
Lin Mo said coldly, "You are a member of the Red Flag Gang, a female soldier under the leader, and now you have been chosen as a personal soldier. Others have nothing to do with you. Anyone who approaches the leader should be your target, and you should never let your guard down."
Huang Yue's heart shuddered at these words, and she couldn't help but stand up straight. This was indeed something she had understood when she became a personal soldier, and it was also her code of conduct. Now that she was scolded like this, she felt her face burning hot and ashamed.
However, besides being ashamed, her confusion only grew. After enduring it again and again, she finally couldn't help but ask, "What about the gang leader's husband? Should we be on guard against him too?"
"What else can we do? The Red Flag Gang belongs to the leader. How can others, without her knowledge, tell you what to do?" Lin Mo sneered. "Let alone a man who admires the leader, even if you really get married, he'll just be an outsider. Someone like this who stays around the leader all day should be guarded against to avoid any chaos."
This was completely opposite to what Huang Yue had learned. She opened her mouth but couldn't say anything for a long time.
Seeing her expression, Lin Mo became even more serious: "Don't forget who taught you to read and practice martial arts. Since you are a personal soldier, you must fulfill your duties as a personal soldier. And no matter who the gang leader chooses, the Red Flag Gang will not change its name!"
These two sentences completely calmed Huang Yue down, and she nodded heavily: "I understand, Captain, don't worry."
Seeing that she truly understood, Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief. In the past, she might have been wary of Lu Jian, but ever since she stepped onto the podium that day and was personally honored by the Gang Leader, she suddenly felt less afraid. Even her own achievements were treasured, let alone the vast foundation of the Red Flag Gang. No one, not even his wife, could take these things away from the Gang Leader. So, what difference did it make who he chose? These trusted confidants didn't need to curry favor with their future "Gang Leader-husband"; they simply had to be accountable to the Gang Leader himself.
This is what the gang leader once said, the power of choice.
Now Lin Mo truly understood. Ever since she showed her mother the glittering golden medal, even the nagging about marriage had lessened. If she could take care of herself and build a successful career, she wouldn't have to rush to find a "good man" to trust. The further she ventured, the more choices she would have, just like her brother, just like the leader of the gang.
So what if it was Mr. Lu? So what if it was Gang Leader Shen? She only needed to follow the Gang Leader and complete the mission. These personal matters were not her business.
The faint commotion was almost eliminated in an instant, which surprised the servants of the Lu Mansion who had been observing secretly. The slight sense of pride that had risen in their hearts inevitably became ephemeral, and they even began to worry about the head of the family.
However, these are of no significance to Lu Jian himself. He is now on the boat, with Cheng Xi day and night. So the rumors are naturally no longer important to him. There are always things more worthy of his care.
However, the originally long voyage had somehow suddenly become shorter, and within a few days, they had reached their destination. From the estuary, the fleet had to split into several groups and act separately. Some pretended to be salt merchants, some sold southern goods, and some aggressively bought raw silk. With these people, Lu Jian's whereabouts would be even less easily detected.
"I will send someone to look for you when we get to the city. Although the Red Flag Gang is not well-known in Yuhang, you still have to be careful." Before they parted, Lu Jian couldn't help but remind her.
Even if General Qiu has been rehabilitated, the Red Flag Gang is still a legitimate rebel. If their identity were known, they might not cause much trouble.
The woman, who had already changed into a new dress and dressed like a bright young lady, chuckled: "Compared to me, Mingde should be more careful and not lose face so early."
All these arrangements were just to hide their identities and take the enemy by surprise. It was pointed out now, which seemed like a joke. However, the next moment, Lu Jian remembered her previous achievements. She had even broken into the government jail and collaborated with bandits to stir up trouble in the whole state. Naturally, this time was nothing to her.
However, even so, he still felt a little uneasy. Noticing this inadvertently, Lu Jian did not smile, but simply nodded solemnly and got off the boat.
As Lu Jian boarded another ship, the huge fleet began to break up, splitting into several groups and merging into the increasing number of ships.
…
Lately, even Yuhang has been experiencing unrest. As the head of the Lu family, Lu Jingzhi has a complex and turbulent mind. The drought in the north has caused countless refugees, and even places like Yuhang have suffered.
Each family was scrambling to get the refugees, and they were also afraid that they would eat too much and burst their stomachs, which was very troublesome.
What's even more terrible is that the new emperor has ascended the throne, and the capital is in chaos. There is no hope for the officialdom, and even the big families in Yuhang are in turmoil. He has to guard against others taking action, and also find a prey to test the knife in his hand.
Just as he was contemplating this crucial matter concerning the future of the Lu family, a servant suddenly arrived with a report that someone had come to visit with a letter from Mr. Xiao of Tingzhou. Xiao Lin was Lu Jingzhi's in-law, and the two families had a close relationship and even business dealings. Hearing that it was someone sent by Xiao Lin, he naturally had to meet him.
However, when he really invited the person in, Lu Jingzhi was shocked because the person who came was not Xiao's nephew, but a woman.
Before he could ask, the bright and beautiful woman bowed and said with a smile, "I am Jiang from Miancheng. I hope Master Lu will not be offended by my intrusive visit. It is truly a request from Master Xiao, and I dare not neglect it."
Lu Jingzhi gave her a strange look. He had never heard of the Jiang family in Miancheng. They were probably just a small family. Why did they send a woman all the way to Yuhang and bring a letter from Xiao Lin?
But he was a man immersed in the business world after all, so he just smiled and asked the other party to take a seat, then said gently, "I wonder what news Madam Jiang brought, but is there any trouble with Mr. Xiao?"
The young woman smiled and said, "The Lu family is a prominent family in Yuhang. Master Lu should be aware of the changes in the capital. The Xiao family intends to rise again, but their old enemies in Tingzhou refuse to leave. This is really a problem, so I would like to ask Master Lu for help. This is a letter from Master Xiao, please take a look."
These few words sent Lü Jingzhi's heart racing. He knew the Xiao family's arch-enemy in Tingzhou. Wasn't it the Lu family, one of Jiangdong's four great families? He'd heard that during the previous attack on Tingzhou, the Lu family had suffered heavy losses, having lost their grain route to the Xiao family. The two families were now at loggerheads. He presumably heard of Minister Lu's defeat in the capital, prompting him to take further action. But how much influence did the Lu family have in Tingzhou, and how much wealth did they have in Yuhang? How could he possibly offer a helping hand?
After taking the letter from the servant, Lu Jingzhi no longer cared about the woman and immediately began to read it. After a while, he raised his head with a strange expression and said, "Mrs. Jiang is a salt merchant."
The young woman smiled and nodded: "These are just small businesses. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Master Lu."
The letter was very brief, probably because they didn't want to put any evidence on paper. It only vaguely mentioned that the Lu family might be unstable, and if pressure was put on Yuhang, they would definitely give up their influence in Tingzhou. It also mentioned Mrs. Jiang's background and the fact that she owned a large amount of Western goods.
It's impossible for a salt merchant to acquire so many Western goods. She also has connections to the Wencheng Qian family, so it's easy to guess the power behind her. No wonder a woman like her has such connections. Rumor has it that the leader of the Red Flag Gang is also a woman, so she probably has connections.
So, does she represent the Red Flag Gang? The Lu family's ocean-going fleet was lost in the South China Sea! The more he thought about it, the warmer his expression became. "Madam, why are you so polite? Lord Xiao also praised you highly, saying that you are extremely talented and a genius in business. I just don't know what kind of business you want to do in Yuhang this time?"
Yuhang is not short of salt, and the Xiao family will not give up Western goods. What tactics will she choose when she is sent to disrupt the Lu family? Lu Jingzhi already had a plan in mind. As expected, the woman smiled and said, "Now that Panyu has opened up to sea trade, silk is naturally the most in-demand commodity. I wonder if you can find some way to do some raw silk business?"
As expected! Besides maritime trade, the Lu family's two largest businesses are grain and raw silk. Now that the grain route has been seized by the Xiao family, if the silk mill is also affected, I'm afraid there will be chaos.
However, despite saying this, Lu Jingzhi frowned slightly and sighed, "Madam, your appetite is quite large, but there is a severe drought in the north this year. Who knows if there will be floods here in the summer? The price of raw silk has been rising. It may not be easy to achieve your wish by relying on the price of silk."
The more unstable the market, the more volatile silk prices will be. Furthermore, this year's situation is indeed different. The Red Flag Gang has already occupied the South China Sea and is said to be determined to support maritime trade and stabilize shipping routes. This year's maritime trade is bound to flourish. Trading in raw silk now would be unacceptable to the Lu family, let alone the other families. It's certainly not something the Lu family alone can sway.
Unexpectedly, the young woman smiled upon hearing this: "I'm not trying to suppress the silk price, but rather to push it up. I don't think this is difficult, is it?"
Lu Jingzhi was stunned. This was certainly not difficult, but if this was the case, how would he deal with the Lu family?
"Raw silk is expensive now, but it hasn't been put on the market yet. Who knows what changes will happen in the future? Besides, there are more than one company planning to deal with the Lu family." The young woman said slowly.
This... Lu Jingzhi's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that the move wasn't just in the business world. Who else wanted to target the Lu family? However, Xiao Lin's letter was right. The situation in Yuhang was already tense to a certain extent. If they could bite off the fat piece of meat of the Jiangdong Lu family, I wonder how many people would be tempted.
If this can be accomplished, the Lu family will definitely benefit from it.
After struggling for a long time, Lu Jingzhi finally smiled and said, "Madam is the buyer. I would like to hear the details."
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