The Red Chamber: The Rise of the Lin Mansion

Aunt Xue didn't pay attention to these things. After she asked Lin Yunluo to sit down, she asked straight to the point: "Brother Yun, Auntie has something to ask you, and I hope you can tell me the truth."

Lin Yun hurriedly said, "Auntie, please tell me."

Aunt Xue: "Pan'er's second uncle unfortunately died of illness, leaving orphans and widows in these two prefectures. From now on, whether the Xue family's business should be reduced or maintained, please help me to make an idea."

Lin Yun thought for a while, and said: "If my aunt wants to keep the Xue family's huge property, she has to invite a business partner to operate it in partnership. Otherwise, with the current situation of the Xue family, it is impossible to restrict those who are in charge outside. .”

Aunt Xue hurriedly asked: "Welcome a partner, how do you know that others won't take the opportunity to seize my Xue family's property?"

Lin Yun: "This kind of thing is very complicated, and I can't explain it clearly for a while. In my opinion, my aunt should shrink the Xue family's property and keep only some high-quality assets. The rest of the property that is not easy to control should be sold as soon as possible. It’s better to drop it.”

Aunt Xue asked tentatively: "Brother Yun, would you like to partner with our Xue family to operate an outside business?"

Lin Yun shook his head and said, "I don't have the energy, and I'm dissatisfied with my aunt. The rickshaw project I'm promoting has encountered a lot of resistance. I've had a hard time thinking about it, and I don't have the heart to think about anything else."

Just when Aunt Xue was about to speak again, a little maid walked in from the outside and reported: "Madam, Mr. Lin's attendants said they have urgent business with him."

Lin Yun hurriedly stood up when he heard the words, and said, "Auntie, take care, this junior will leave first."

After speaking, he quickly ran out of the hall.

Aunt Xue smiled wryly and shook her head. She originally thought that Lin Yun was coveting their Xue family's property by helping their Xue family, but who knew that after some probing just now, they didn't look down on their Xue family's things at all.

Baochai also had similar ideas with Aunt Xue at the beginning, thinking that Lin Yun must have something to do with Xue Pan.

But seeing Lin Yun's proposal to her mother just now, she refused without hesitation, which made her very puzzled. Could it be that Lin's elder brother is really married to his own elder brother?

Chapter 173: Negotiation

Coming out of Xue's residence, Lin Yun saw Feng Ziying leading a strange middle-aged man waiting outside.

Before Lin Yun could open his mouth to ask, Feng Ziying took the initiative to introduce: "Brother Lin, this is the messenger from the Four Seas Gang. Their leader agrees to meet with you, but they must decide the meeting place."

Lin Yun looked at the dark and thin middle-aged man and asked, "What's your name? What position do you hold in the Four Seas Gang?"

The middle-aged man said arrogantly: "I'm just an unknown soldier, so I don't need to mention my name. Our leader asks Mr. Lin to meet at Huangshipo, ten miles west of the city, at noon today. Both sides can only bring ten guards. If you violate the regulations , the meeting will be canceled immediately."

Lin Yun frowned and said: "We meet outside the city, and it's the place you designated. If you ambushed me halfway, wouldn't I suffer a lot?"

The middle-aged man sneered and said, "Since Mr. Lin wants to come to the pier to compete for food, why worry about being ambushed. Tell me a good word, do you dare to go?"

Lin Yun thought for a while and said, "In order to show my sincerity, I am willing to take this risk."

The middle-aged man nodded and said: "It's not too bad, then I'll go back and tell the lord that I'm waiting outside the city at noon today."

"and many more."

"What else can you say, son?"

Lin Yun: "Please send me a message to the leader of your gang. The promotion of rickshaws is the decision of the emperor, and it is not something that you, the Four Seas Gang, can stop. If this negotiation fails, I will hand over this matter to the government. What will be the result, please think about it carefully."

The middle-aged man said angrily: "Young master, are you threatening our leader?"

Lin Yun: "It's good words of persuasion. If it weren't for the fact that your gang members are a bunch of hard-working people, I would have handed over this matter to the magistrate's yamen."

The middle-aged man didn't say any more, turned around and left quickly.

...

After the middle-aged man left, Feng Ziying suggested to Lin Yun: "Brother Lin, in my opinion, we should prepare more people to catch that bird gang leader, so that we can finish everything."

Lin Yun said angrily: "They put the meeting place outside the city, just to prevent us from colluding with the government to attack them."

Xiao Mo said worriedly at the side: "Third Master, the gangsters are ruthless, you have to be careful, don't let them plot against you."

"Even if you don't say this, I will be careful."

Lin Yun thought for a while, and then ordered Tian Zhuang: "Take two people out of the city to check the terrain around Huangshipo, and report to me when you come back."

"Yes."

Tian Zhuang responded, and then galloped away with his two servants on horseback.

Lin Yun was about to get on his horse and return home, but when he saw Zhao Hongming, Qiu Mengjie, Tian Sheng, and Zhou Lin bringing their servants over to express their condolences, he rushed up to greet him and cupped his hands: "Brother Zhao, Brother Qiu, Brother Tian, ​​Brother Zhou, you good!"

The four people each returned their greetings to Lin Yun. Zhao Hongming said, "Brother Lin Xian, are you going back?"

Lin Yun: "I originally wanted to stay and help, but the people from the Four Seas Gang invited me to hold negotiations outside the city at noon, so I have to go back and prepare."

"Oh!"

Zhao Hongming's eyes lit up when he heard the words, and he hurriedly asked, "Do you want to fight with the members of the Four Seas Gang?"

Lin Yun smiled wryly and said, "Who knows. I want to use negotiation to solve the problem, but I don't know if the other party appreciates it or not."

Zhao Hongming hurriedly said: "Wait for me a moment, after I pay my condolences, I will go with you to help."

Qiu Mengjie also said: "I'm going too, if the members of the Four Seas Gang don't open their eyes, we'll uproot him."

Zhou Lin was two years older than Lin Yun, and he also liked to fight and join in the fun. When he heard that Zhao Hongming and Qiu Mengjie were going to fight with Lin Yun, he was eager to participate.

Naturally, Lin Yun was eager to bring a few dandies with him, and with a few of them participating, even if he borrowed the courage of the leader of the Four Seas Gang, he would not dare to lay a black hand on them.

After waiting for a cup of tea outside the mansion, a few dudes came out after paying their condolences.

Everyone mounted their horses and returned to Rongguo Mansion to discuss the matter of going to Huangshipo for negotiations.

Zhao Hongming and Qiu Mengjie are both locals, and they know Huangshipo outside the city very well. According to them, Huangshipo is just a rocky hillock, with no river or woods around, so there is no need to worry about any ambush.

Out of caution, Lin Yun waited until Tian Zhuang came back after inspecting the terrain, asked him again, and only felt relieved after getting confirmation.

Since he could only bring ten people to the appointment, and everyone couldn't go with them, Lin Yun divided the staff into two groups. He took Zhao Hongming, Qiu Mengjie and eight guards to the appointment.Feng Ziying, Tian Sheng, and Zhou Lin brought their own servants to support them, in case the Four Seas Gang would launch a surprise attack.

Just in case, Lin Yun sent another person to inform Hu Xiangyi to make him ready to respond.

After finishing the arrangement, Lin Yun himself felt that it was a bit fussy. The Sihai Gang was a porter gang, and he really thought highly of them when he treated them so carefully.

Seeing that the appointed time at noon was approaching, everyone left the mansion together and rode straight to the west gate.

...

At noon, on Huangshipo, ten miles west of Jinling City, a spacious carriage, guarded by seven or eight gray-clothed men, stopped beside a small dead tree.

Inside the carriage, an old man with gray hair raised his hand and opened the curtains, glanced outside and said, "Zhu Qi, why hasn't that kid arrived yet? Did you make an appointment at the wrong time?"

The man who had previously entered the city to deliver a message to Lin Yun stepped forward and said with cupped hands: "Replying to the leader of the gang, I made it clear. Maybe Mr. Lin is timid and does not dare to come to the appointment."

"Is he a coward?"

The old man chuckled, and then said: "How can a person who can escape with his life in an ambush by a killer hired by a salt merchant be afraid of a bad old man like me?"

A young man stepped forward and said: "Father, why do you need to build up other people's ambitions and destroy your own prestige? When that kid comes over, I will definitely capture him alive and hand him over to you."

The old man frowned and said: "So what if he is captured alive? Can you kill him?"

"Uh,"

The young man said embarrassingly: "Although you can't kill him, you can still frighten him."

"Zhu Biao, if you have nothing to do, you have to use your brain more. At present, the future of our more than [-] members of the Four Seas Gang is the most important thing. That Mr. Lin, don't offend him easily."

"Yes, father."

As soon as the old man finished teaching his son, he heard a guard pointing in front of him and shouting loudly: "Master, they are here."

The white-haired old man got up and got out of the carriage. Standing on the shaft and looking up into the distance, he saw ten war horses galloping towards him.

The white-haired old man ordered to the young man named Zhu Biao: "Someone send a message to Master Huang, asking him to lead people to be on strict guard, in case the other party plays tricks."

"Yes, father."

Chapter 174: Violence and Injury

Lin Yun reined in his horse within a stone's throw of the carriage, cupped his fists and said to the opposite side, "Excuse me, is the old leader Zhu?"

The white-haired old man clasped his fists in return, "It's the old man, could the little brother be Mr. Lin Yunlin?"

"It's the junior."

Lin Yun got off his horse, raised his hand and said with a smile, "Master Zhu, can you take a step to speak?"

The young man named Zhu Biao said loudly: "You are the one who wants to talk, why should my father come to see you?"

Lin Yun smiled and said: "I'm relatively timid, and I'm worried that you may hide some powerful mechanism in the carriage, so I'd like to ask the old gang leader to condescend to come over and explain."

Zhu Biao said angrily: "Fart! I~"

Elder Zhu raised his hand to stop him and said, "Biaoer, don't talk too much."

After the old man finished speaking, he quickly jumped out of the carriage and walked slowly to the opposite side.

Lin Yun took a few steps forward, pointed his finger at Fourth Master Zhu and praised him: "As expected of an old Jianghu, Chief Zhu, your courage alone makes the younger generation admire you."

Zhu Siye said cheerfully: "I see that the few people under your command, that is, the strong man closest to you is very skilled, and the martial arts of others are ordinary, so why should I be afraid?"

"Uh,"

Lin Yun asked in surprise: "Could it be that the old leader is still a master of martial arts?"

"so so."

After a pause, Fourth Master Zhu said again: "Mr. Lin, you asked me to meet the old man, isn't it just to discuss martial arts?"

Lin Yun restrained his smile and said: "Master Zhu, what I mean is to let you Four Seas Gang join my rickshaw business. I can give you [-]% of the shares, which is enough for you to spend your old age in peace."

Gang Leader Zhu shook his head and said, "Old people are nothing, but the livelihood of the more than [-] members of my Four Seas Gang is the most important thing. Once your rickshaws are promoted, most of our industries that operate sedan chairs and horse-drawn carriages will go bankrupt. How to solve the problem of livelihood? I have to ask for them.”

Lin Yun said hurriedly: "You don't have to worry about this. The rickshaw is just a trial promotion and will not be promoted so fast. Besides, craftsmen are also needed to make rickshaws. I can let them give priority to recruiting people from your Sihai Gang."

Fourth Master Zhu thought for a while and said, "I can accept your proposal. However, I want [-]% of the shares in the rickshaw shop. And every time you open a rickshaw shop in the future, I will take [-]% of the shares."

Lin Yun was surprised and said: "Old leader, you will take [-]% of the shares of the Four Seas Gang, so I'm still playing a fart, so I just let you complete this deal."

Master Zhu smiled and said: "There are countless old, young, women and children to be taken care of by our Four Seas Gang. If there is no benefit to be gained, even if the old man agrees to cooperate, the people below will try their best to oppose you."

Lin Yun: "[-]% of the shares is absolutely impossible, please forgive me for not agreeing to this."

Zhu Siye said cheerfully: "Please go back and think about it, Mr. Lin. As long as you agree to cooperate with our Four Seas Gang, I promise to push your rickshaw to the docks all over the country in the shortest time."

Lin Yun: "I can do this without the support of your Universal Gang."

Fourth Master Zhu's face darkened when he heard the words, and said, "Could it be that you want to use the power of the government to forcefully promote rickshaws?"

Lin Yun: "If necessary, I will do so."