Life in the world of film and television

A few more days passed, and the Su family clan meeting was held as scheduled. If the showdown with the Wu family had been held a few days in advance, there would have been no clan meeting at all, and Su Tan'er's position would have been as stable as a rock.

However, considering that although the second and third rooms would be well behaved for a while, they would inevitably hinder and cause trouble in the future, we just went with the flow.

The plan of the two has also been revealed to Old Master Su. Otherwise, the Su family would be in chaos now and Old Master Su would have been furious and would not have been so calm.

He also knew that if Su Tan'er was to take charge of the Su family, the conflicts between the first, second and third houses must be resolved to avoid hidden dangers in the future.

Let’s solve it all at once during the clan meeting!

After a day of arguing, under the decision of Grandpa Su, the second and third rooms were separated, and their property was divided into two. A small part of the property that they developed and actually controlled was still managed by the second and third rooms themselves; the other part of the Su family property that Grandpa Su had asked them to manage before, although it was managed by the second and third rooms, was under the name of Grandpa Su, and this was to be taken back and handed over to the future successor of the Su family.

Although the division of the family business went smoothly, most of the properties under their control had to be handed over. The second and third wives were reluctant at first, but when they heard that Old Grandpa Su wanted to hand it over to the future successor, they agreed reluctantly.

In their opinion, there is only Su Tan'er in the first house, and given Su Tan'er's current situation, it is basically impossible for her to be in charge of the Su family in the future. The future successor of the Su family can only be chosen from the second and third houses. These industries have been handed over openly, and they may be able to get more back in the future.

In this way, this grand clan meeting ended successfully in a way that satisfied both parties.

The clan meeting has just ended, and Su Tan'er's action against the Wu family has also begun. It's time to show down the cards.

That day, Li Mu came out of the academy and was strolling on the street. Wu Qilong appeared out of nowhere and bowed, saying, "Brother Ning, what a coincidence!"

Li Mu smiled. Is it really such a coincidence?

He was probably waiting here on purpose, so he didn't expose her. He just bowed and said, "Brother Wu!"

Wu Qilong said, "There is a teahouse near my home. How about I treat Brother Ning to a drink?"

Li Mu smiled and said, "Okay!"

The two men came to the teahouse and entered a quiet room on the second floor. Li Mu's internal strength was so profound that any movement within a few feet could not escape his eyes and ears. He instantly noticed that there were five or six people sitting in the quiet room next door. They didn't dare to make any sound and seemed to be very nervous.

This is... someone from the Wu family, who wants to listen to the conversation between me and Wu Qilong!

Indeed, as time went by, the Wu family still couldn't find the reason for the fading of the cloth, and they became more and more anxious. Li Mu was usually calm and indifferent, and although he didn't interfere with the business operations of the Su family, his identity allowed him to know some core secrets of the Su family's business. The Wu family was desperate and tried all means to get some important information from him, whether it was useful or not.

So, Wu Qilong asked some of the Wu family's big managers and responsible persons to sit in a quiet room nearby and make an on-the-spot analysis based on the conversation between the two.

Here, the two of them sat down, and the maid poured tea and left. Li Mu glanced at Wu Qilong, wanting to get some information, so he smiled faintly: "Brother Wu, the cloth has faded!"

Wu Qilong's face froze and he almost dropped the teacup in his hand. The nightmare finally became a reality and his face was full of surprise.

In his expectation, he was thinking about how he would use words to trick Li Mu into talking and analyze the movements of the Su family. He didn't expect Li Mu to reveal his cards so lightly and calmly.

It shouldn't be like this. How could he speak of such an important matter so lightly?

Not only Wu Qilong, but also screams were heard from the quiet room next door, and there was even the sound of a teacup knocking over on the ground.

Wu Qilong didn't care about these things anymore, and asked with a fierce look: "Did your Su family do it?"

He was just thinking about how to test him, how to find out some clues from the other party's behavior, but the other party suddenly revealed his cards. Shouldn't this be done in a formal setting, in front of everyone after careful consideration?

Li Mu took a sip of tea and smiled faintly: "You look very angry, shouldn't I have guessed it long ago?"

Wu Qilong muttered to himself, "As expected, it was you who set up this trap. As expected... Are you saying this today because you think the time is right and it's time to show your cards?"

Li Mu smiled and said, "Not yet! The Su family clan meeting is over, so we are free to come here. Do you think it will continue to drag on? This will give you a chance to turn the tables."

Wu Qilong stared at him closely: "You are the ones who spread the rumor."

Li Mu smiled and said, "Yes! Isn't this normal? This time we are not releasing any specific information. The deadline for the transaction between you and the Weaving Bureau is approaching, and then we will have to have a complete showdown."

Wu Qilong asked: "What are you doing today?"

Li Mu said: "It's a matter of chance and a spur of the moment thing. You invited me to have tea today, isn't it because you want to know these things? Then I'll tell you. There is also an advantage in knowing this earlier, as it gives you some buffer time."

Wu Qilong calmed down and tried to calm himself down: "So, what is your purpose? What do you want?"

Li Mu spread his hands and smiled: "Well, go ask Tan'er. Just give her what she wants."

Wu Qilong was almost laughing out of anger, and said with anger suppressed: "Brother Ning, you are so arrogant, how should I know what your wife wants?"

Li Mu smiled faintly: "It depends on your sincerity. All you can offer is what the Su family's eldest wife can afford."

"Brother Wu should know that the Su family has recently made arrangements in many places in the Wu family, such as Luzhou, Shouzhou, Guangzhou, Hezhou, Xuanzhou..."

Li Mu counted on his fingers, one by one.

"The Wu family must give up all of their market share in these areas. In addition, I heard that the formulas of several of the Wu family's dyes are not bad, Tan'er likes them very much, and the Wu family's unique knitting technology is also very good... That's all I remember." Before Li Mu could finish, Wu Qilong stood up in anger: "Ning Yi, do you know what you are saying? You just open your mouth and you want half of my Wu family."

Li Mu smiled faintly: "Brother Wu, don't worry. In fact, it's less than half. After all, it's the largest cloth shop in Jiangning. The Wu family has a strong foundation. The big house managed by Tan'er alone can't eat half of it. It can probably eat one third and it will be full.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Qilong slammed the table in anger and said through gritted teeth, "You want to take one-third of the Wu family? You're dreaming. Do you really think that you can take over our Wu family because of this little thing? Our Wu family has developed to this point and has experienced many ups and downs. We are not afraid of you."

"Regarding the cloth, we have already applied to the Weaving Bureau for an extension. You can spread rumors that our Wu family's cloth has faded. As long as we don't deliver it, even if there is a certain impact, what can you do to us?"

Li Mu smiled and said, "You may not know yet, but Manager Liao has already gone to the capital. Our Su family also has a business there. Manager Liao often travels between the two places and knows many big cloth merchants. He also has many connections. This time he brought a lot of silver with him to prove the Wu family's crime of deceiving the emperor."

Wu Qilong was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud: "Brother Ning, you are too naive. The cloth just faded. To put it bluntly, it is deceiving the emperor. But the emperor has always been lenient over the years. Do you think he will confiscate your family and exterminate your clan because of such a thing? The crime of deceiving the emperor is not so easy to sentence."

Li Mu smiled faintly and said solemnly: "But, Brother Wu, the situation is different now. We have to fight."

"The situation in the north is on the verge of breaking out, and a big war is about to break out. Brother Wu, do you know what you need most for a war? Money! As the saying goes, food and fodder must be sent before troops move. Spending money on war is a bottomless pit."

"When the time comes, when the army is raised, not only the emperor, the prime minister, and officials at all levels of the three provinces and six ministries will worry about military expenses. Even if the emperor is merciful and does not want to investigate, what about those officials at all levels who are worried about military expenses? Your Wu family has such a strong financial foundation. It should be no problem to confiscate your property and get two or three million strings of cash! Wouldn't this solve part of the military expenses?"

Seeing Wu Qilong's face turning pale, Li Mu said, "Don't worry. Your Wu family wants to delay until the troops are mobilized in the north, until the officials at all levels who are worried about the military expenses set their sights on your Wu family. The ready-made charges and reasons will save a lot of trouble. When the officials at all levels reach a consensus, no official will excuse you. You will be convicted and sentenced to death soon, and your property will be confiscated and your clan will be exterminated. You can't escape."

Li Mu's words made Wu Qilong break out in a cold sweat. Having worked in the business world for many years, he was not someone who could be easily frightened. What Li Mu said was well-reasoned and connected, it was really scary.

No one could remain indifferent to the crime of confiscation of property and extermination of the clan, especially when the North was really going to go to war, which was a bottomless pit. If the Su family was really willing to spend a large sum of money to operate, the Wu family's fat piece of meat would be exposed to officials at all levels who were worried about military expenses. He didn't know if the Wu family could get away with it, but if they were not careful, they would be confiscated and exterminated.

No one dares to bet.

Not only Wu Qilong, but also the heavy breathing in the quiet room next door, obviously frightened. On one hand, it is to lose money to avoid disaster, and on the other hand, it is to confiscate the family and exterminate the family. Who can stay calm in the face of such a thing?

Li Mu sipped his tea slowly, letting Wu Qilong slowly digest the shock of the news. After a moment, he continued, "You also know that your Wu family's style of doing things over the years has offended not only our Su family, but many other families as well. It's okay if you are in the ascendant, but if you show signs of decline and flaws, not only our Su family, but many others won't mind kicking you when you're down."

"If we continue to drag it out, the situation will no longer be under the control of the Su family. Even if we don't go to the capital to make trouble, others will go there. They will be more ruthless than us, and your Wu family's fate will still be unavoidable."

"This situation is also what our Su family does not want to see. After all, if we can easily occupy the market, we will inevitably compete with other families after the news spreads. It would be great if you can just give the market to us to avoid trouble."

"Time may be a little tight, so you don't need to sort it out in too much detail. Just hand over everything you can. If you can't eat it, I'm sure Tan'er will know how to handle it..."

Wu Qilong shouted at the top of his lungs: "So, our Wu family wants you to slaughter us?"

Li Mu smiled and said, "You can understand it this way. Things have come to this. Do you have any choice?"

Wu Qilong opened his mouth for a long while before he spoke word by word: "Okay! One third, hand over the real formula of Canjinjin first..."

Li Mu shook his head: "There is no real formula. Tan'er has been researching for three years. The formula he developed was found to be faded in the end. He is very sad! You stole the formula again. Tan'er's father was assassinated again. We can only go with the flow and see who is behind it."

Wu Qilong said: "We did not send anyone to assassinate Uncle Su."

Li Mu smiled and said, "I don't care about that. I'll add one more condition. Hand over the list of traitors you have hidden in the Su family, especially the one who stole the secret recipe."

Wu Qilong gritted his teeth and sneered, "Why should we agree to you if there is no secret recipe?"

Li Mu said: "In order to protect the Wu family, while the news has not spread yet and only our two families know about it, and the North has not yet mobilized troops, our Su family will work with your Wu family in the capital to resolve this matter before the troops are mobilized."

"As long as we resolve this matter before we mobilize the army, and deal with it thoroughly, even if the court is short of money, no one will target your family anymore."

Wu Qilong said: "We can manage it with our own money, why should we give you one-third of our family property and ask for your help."

Li Mu smiled and said, "How can you be so naive? Our two families are still in a hostile state. Why do you think we will keep your secrets and not add insult to injury?"

"As long as we spread the news, you will be guilty of deceiving the emperor. Many people will take advantage of your misfortune and pounce on you. It's no use fighting a pack of wolves with your bare hands. Your fate will be even more miserable."

"I'd like to use one-third of your Wu family's assets to exchange for the lives of everyone in your family, and I can also save part of your assets. Don't you think it's not worth it?"

Wu Qilong took a long breath and his body trembled slightly.

Li Mu said, "I want to emphasize a few points. Your Wu family is now racing against death. Make a decision as soon as possible and don't delay any further. If your Wu family continues to dither, the Su family will release the news when the time comes, and the matter will be out of our control. Then we will just leave it to fate. Another point is that we won't tell you what we want and then ask you to prepare. So, try to get it done in one go and prepare everything you can. If both sides have a peaceful handover, it will save us trouble and you don't have to worry about it."

Wu Qilong said: "So, our Wu family can only accept it, and we will also send the industries in various places to you so that you can choose."

Li Mu shrugged, "You don't have to do that. You can try your luck. Maybe the emperor will be merciful and not kill people! Or you can study the formula again. Tan Er spent several years and couldn't solve the problem. Maybe you will be lucky and solve it in a few days!"

Wu Qilong sat there dejectedly, his eyes filled with confusion and despair. Faced with the consequences of his family being exterminated, what else could he do but agree?

(End of this chapter)