Chapter 3 The Wedding Turmoil and Overpowering the Group
The process of obtaining the marriage certificate was so simple it was almost hasty. On an ordinary Wednesday morning, Wang Yi drove Li Shimin to the Civil Affairs Bureau. There were no relatives or friends to witness it, no wedding dress or suit, and no one was even informed beforehand. Signing, taking photos, stamping, and two small red books were in hand. In the photo, Wang Yi was as calm and composed as ever, but there seemed to be a very faint, almost self-deprecating smile at the corners of her lips. Li Shimin, on the other hand, sat upright, his face solemn, his sharp eyes staring directly at the camera. It didn't look like a wedding; it looked more like signing some kind of covenant concerning the fate of the nation.
The news was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating a huge wave within the "Yihua Group" controlled by Wang Yi, and even throughout the business circle and social media.
The old foxes on the board were the first to get restless.
Over the years, they have watched Wang Yi, a woman, use her ruthless methods and astonishing business acumen to bring the group to its current multinational scale of tens of billions. They fear her, yet they also depend on her. Wang Yi is unmarried and has three daughters of mysterious origins, which, to some extent, was once a point they secretly felt was "controllable" and even a potential point of attack—a female leader without a "legitimate" husband and "orthodox" offspring (in some of their outdated views) is ultimately "incomplete," and her power succession is "flawed." They have put pressure on her, overtly or covertly, implying that she should consider a "suitable" marriage to bring the group into a "more stable" structure, while in reality they covet greater influence and control.
Wang Yi remained unmoved. With her formidable performance and impeccable political maneuvering, she suppressed the board's anger, leaving them speechless. They pinned their hopes on their three growing daughters, especially Li Qingyun, who was being groomed as their successor. A young, inexperienced third generation, potentially more easily influenced because of her gender, seemed to suit their tastes better.
However, just as Li Qingyun began to get involved in the group's core affairs, and just as they were plotting how to further exert their influence, Wang Yi actually... got married?!
The man she was marrying was Li Shimin, a man who had never appeared in the business world, was virtually unknown, had no traceable background, and was even excessively young (in their eyes). What made their blood pressure soar even higher was that on the afternoon of the day they received their marriage certificate, Wang Yi officially amended some of the equity authorizations and board articles of association through an internal group announcement and a lawyer's letter. She transferred some of the core decision-making power that she had previously held exclusively to her new husband, Li Shimin, and appointed him as the group's special strategic advisor, directly responsible to the chairman (Wang Yi), with extremely high authority.
What gives this inexperienced, greenhorn-like young man the right to marry you? Just a marriage certificate?
The boardroom erupted in chaos. A cacophony of doubt, anger, ridicule, and resistance filled the air. Several powerful veteran directors launched a scathing attack at the meeting, accusing Wang Yi of being "childish," "irresponsible," and "damaging the interests of all shareholders." Some even contacted the media privately, sending headlines like "Female CEO's Flash Marriage to a Young Man, Power Seemingly Lost" and "Yihua Group in Succession Crisis, Mysterious Husband Takes Over" to trending topics. Social media was flooded with speculation, denigration, and gossip. Partners made probing calls, competitors spread negative rumors, and the stock price fluctuated accordingly.
At the eye of the storm, Li Shimin remained unusually calm.
Wang Yi laid out stacks of thick documents in front of him—group structure, financial statements, core businesses, competitor analysis, board member backgrounds and factions, major projects underway, potential legal and public relations risks… The amount of information was enough to overwhelm an ordinary person. She gave him only one concise instruction: “Stabilize the situation and shut those old fogies up. Do it your way.”
Her eyes held trust, a resolute determination to take a gamble, and a hint of cold, scrutinizing observation. She wanted to see what methods this once powerful Khan could employ in this modern business battlefield, which, though lacking the clash of swords, was just as ruthless.
Li Shimin did not disappoint her.
He didn't rush to the conference room to engage in heated debates with the elders, nor did he immediately hold a press conference to respond to public opinion. His first action was to go into seclusion. For three whole days, he barely slept, immersing himself in a vast ocean of information. Modern business terminology, financial instruments, legal provisions, technological concepts… they were like gibberish to him. But he possessed an almost terrifying focus, learning ability, and a talent for summarizing. Like an extremely dry sponge, he frantically absorbed all the information, combining it with his decades of experience as an emperor—manipulating bureaucracy, balancing power, understanding people's hearts, and making far-reaching decisions—to understand, transform, and draw analogies.
Three days later, he emerged from his study. His eyes were bloodshot, but his gaze was like tempered iron—sharp, cold, and all-knowing.
The first thing he did was to have Wang Yi's secretary retrieve the approval records, procurement lists, and reimbursement vouchers for all major projects handled by board members and their affiliates over the past three years, as well as non-public reports from the group's internal audit department. With an almost intuitive keenness, he quickly identified several seemingly normal but actually gray areas in these processes.
Next, he met privately with the group's CFO and General Counsel. The meeting was brief, but his questions were precise and incisive, directly pointing to potential loopholes in several key financial processes and hidden risk clauses in several important contracts. He didn't adopt the airs of a new "advisor" or "boss's husband," but rather communicated with an equal, highly professional, and even somewhat authoritative demeanor. Their initial indifference quickly turned into shock and seriousness.
Then, at another heated board meeting, Li Shimin, accompanied by Wang Yi, made his first official appearance.
He was still wearing a well-fitting suit, his posture upright, and he walked into the conference room with a steady gait. He did not sit at the head of the table next to Wang Yi, but chose a seat to the side. But when he sat down and his gaze calmly swept over each of the directors present, each with a different expression, the noisy discussion in the entire conference room involuntarily subsided.
It was an invisible aura. Not the arrogance of a nouveau riche, nor the cowardice of a pretty boy, but the calm and authority of someone who had long held a high position, wielded life and death, and seen countless storms. Even though his youthful face seemed somewhat incongruous with this aura, the real and undeniable sense of oppression made these seasoned veterans, accustomed to intrigue and power struggles, feel a chill run down their spines.
The meeting proceeded according to schedule, and soon it came to the questioning of Wang Yi's appointment of Li Shimin and the authorization issue. A veteran director surnamed Liu was the first to launch an attack, speaking arrogantly and directly criticizing Li Shimin for lacking qualifications, questioning his ability, and implying that this was Wang Yi's nepotism, which damaged the company's governance.
Wang Yi's expression darkened slightly, and he was about to speak when Li Shimin gently raised his hand in a gesture.
He didn't immediately refute, but waited for Director Liu to finish speaking, and even for the other directors who had echoed him to finish expressing their opinions. The atmosphere in the meeting room was tense; everyone was watching this young man who had suddenly barged in, waiting to see him make a fool of himself or make a pathetic attempt to explain himself.
Li Shimin slowly stood up. He didn't look at Director Liu, but walked to the electronic display screen at the front of the conference room. His secretary had already connected his laptop as instructed beforehand.
“Chairman Liu just mentioned that Project D’s profit margin is lower than the industry average, which he believes is due to our poor negotiation skills,” Li Shimin said, his voice not loud, but clear enough for everyone to hear. “This is a breakdown of the project’s procurement costs over the past five years, as well as the equity structure of the main supplier, Company B.” Clear charts and data instantly appeared on the screen.
His finger swiped across the screen: "Please note that the largest undisclosed shareholder of Supplier B is 'Ruifeng Investment,' and the actual controller of 'Ruifeng Investment'..." He paused, his gaze shifting for the first time to Director Liu, whose face was already turning pale, "...is an offshore company under the name of your son-in-law. In the past three years, for this item alone, the procurement cost has exceeded the fair market price by about 15%, accumulating to about 240 million."
"This...this is just normal business cooperation! There's a formal contract!" Director Liu suddenly stood up, his voice somewhat shrill.
“The contract is certainly formal,” Li Shimin said calmly, switching the screen. “However, this supplementary risk warning memorandum, filed by the legal department three months ago, points out that there are ambiguities in the technical standards clauses of this series of contracts, which may lead to technical barriers for our products when exported to the EU. This memorandum does not seem to have been discussed in detail at the final review meeting of the project. The minutes of the review meeting at that time show that Chairman Liu, you insisted on rapid progress and ignored the legal department’s suggestions.”
He then switched the screen: "Furthermore, regarding the decline in North American market performance last quarter, Chairman Chen just attributed it to increased market competition and exchange rate fluctuations. This is a comparison of the marketing activity investment and sales of our main competitor, Company C, during the same period, as well as an analysis of the exchange rate trends of major international currencies against the RMB." The charts were concise and clear. "The data shows that during periods when the exchange rate was generally favorable to us, Company C's market share growth mainly stemmed from its targeted digital marketing and new channel expansion, while our corresponding market response plan was shelved during the budget approval process. The committee responsible for approving the regional market budget is the one under your supervision, Chairman Chen."
He didn't raise his voice or shout angrily. Instead, he used clear data, solid internal documents, and a rigorous chain of logic to direct his criticism at the two most vocal directors, instantly transforming their seemingly respectable questions into interrogations of their own vested interests, decision-making errors, and even potential misconduct.
A deathly silence fell over the conference room. Only the faint glow of the electronic screens and the hum of the air conditioner could be heard. The other directors, who had initially intended to agree or observe, were now trembling with fear, cold sweat beading on their backs. They suddenly realized that this young man, parachuted in from elsewhere, was far from the naive pretty boy they had imagined. In a very short time, he had not only mastered a vast amount of company information, but more frighteningly, he possessed a ruthless eye for pinpointing weaknesses and hitting the core issues, along with an undeniable, assertive demeanor once he made a move.
This is hardly a young advisor; he's clearly a cunning and shrewd lion disguised as a young man!
Li Shimin's gaze swept across the entire room again, finally landing on Wang Yi. He nodded slightly, then calmly returned to his seat. He did not press his advantage, nor did he demand the immediate punishment of Liu and Chen. But this restrained approach, maintaining absolute control, was more effective than any heated argument.
Wang Yi, as chairman, opportunely took over the conversation, expressing "great importance" to the "problem" raised by Li Shimin, demanding that relevant departments "thoroughly investigate and report within a specified timeframe," and "reminding" all directors to fulfill their duties and prioritize the group's interests. The rest of the meeting proceeded quickly in an atmosphere of strange compliance.
In the following weeks, Li Shimin intervened in the group's core affairs with astonishing speed and efficiency. He remained a man of few words, but every time he spoke, it was incisive and to the point. His methods of integrating resources were bold and decisive, his strategic adjustments were precise and forward-looking, and he handled interpersonal conflicts (both internal and external) with a balance of tact and firmness. He skillfully applied the techniques of balance, checks and balances, and the combination of kindness and severity from the art of emperorship to modern corporate management, rapidly building his own team and inner circle.
Public opinion began to subtly shift. Initially, it was filled with ridicule as a "gold digger" and a "pretty boy," but now assessments like "deceptively talented," "a business genius," and "Wang Yi's sharp eye" emerged. Within the group, while dissenting voices hadn't completely disappeared, they had moved from open challenge to private murmurs, with most choosing to observe or submit. After a brief period of fluctuation, the stock price not only rebounded but also showed a steady upward trend due to several proactive reforms led by Li Shimin and market predictions.
What surprised Wang Yi the most, and left him with mixed feelings, was the change in Li Qingyun. This daughter, who had always carried a heavy burden alone and kept her distance and scrutiny from everyone, after witnessing Li Shimin's several swift and effective actions, began to look at her father with a clearer respect in addition to the initial caution and the subtle closeness brought by blood ties, and... a kind of dependence that she herself was not fully aware of, which finally allowed her to relax her burden a little.
Late at night, in Wang Yi's study.
Li Shimin stared at his computer screen, reviewing a summary of an upcoming overseas acquisition plan. The lamplight illuminated his focused profile.
Wang Yi walked in carrying a glass of warm water and placed it beside him.
"Things have calmed down at the board meeting for now." Her tone was flat, revealing little emotion. "Chairman Liu and Chairman Chen have contacted me privately, expressing their willingness to cooperate with the investigation and to 'appropriately' reduce their shareholdings."
"Hmm." Li Shimin responded, his gaze still fixed on the screen. "The bargaining chips aren't enough. We can release a little more information to the media about the evidence collected by the Ministry of Justice. We need to make them understand that backing down is dignified; if they don't back down, they can't afford the consequences."
Looking at him, Wang Yi seemed to see the King of Qin from years ago, the one who calmly orchestrated everything on the eve of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, driving his brothers and political enemies step by step into a desperate situation. The methods may have varied with the times, but the core decisiveness, ruthlessness, and control remained the same.
“You learn very quickly,” she said.
Li Shimin finally raised his eyes and looked at her. His eyes held weariness, but even more so, a sharp glint of hope in his eyes, a renewed determination to find a new battlefield and realize his ambitions. "It's just another 'courtroom battle'," he paused, then added, "Qingyun's proposed direction for technological transformation today was very insightful. But she's too concerned about costs and the opposition from the older ministers. Tomorrow I will have her lead a special task force, and I will personally lend my support. I will remove the obstacles."
His tone was natural, as if paving the way for a talented but constrained minister was the most normal thing in the world.
Wang Yi's heart stirred slightly. She knew that Li Shimin was quickly adapting to this new identity, not only as her "husband" and the group's special advisor, but also as a true father, beginning to provide for his daughter.
“Okay.” She nodded without saying anything more. Her gaze swept over the heavy merger and acquisition plan in his hand, then fell back on his young face, which already exuded an unshakeable aura.
This monstrous wave, triggered by a marriage certificate, was swiftly and forcefully suppressed by him, and even began to transform into an opportunity to consolidate his power and expand his territory.
Even if the time and space change, and the battlefield changes, the Heavenly Khan is still the Heavenly Khan.
Outside the window, the city lights burn all night long, like a battlefield that never ends. But in this tranquil space on the top floor, a new alliance has been formed, and a new journey has just begun.
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