I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1079 A debt of gratitude must be repaid, and a petty grudge must be avenged.

Liberty Point and Liberty City were the most important transit points for Atlantic trade.

Ships from the West sailed south and, upon reaching Cape Liberty, gained complete freedom. No one was subject to the control of the church or the court anymore. From here, they could travel south to trade in the vast West Africa, or they could travel west from Cape Liberty, following the ocean currents to the Governor-General of Brazil and then to the New World.

This is the key to Atlantic trade.

This place was first discovered by Portuguese explorers, who established a port here as a transit point for supplies. Soon it became a gathering place for pirates, where there was no law or order, and the buying and selling of people was very common.

England broke Spain's monopoly on Atlantic trade starting from Cape Liberty and Liberty City. After the English explored the sea route from England to Cape Liberty, it became much harder for Spain to prevent England from making a living from maritime trade.

Da Nang has become the Cape of Freedom in the East, and its formation is similar to that of the Cape of Freedom.

Both were important trade transit points, both had a large number of ships that resupplyed here, both had countless outlaws who gathered here, and both had a huge economy that relied on a single ship to go to sea. These similarities led to their convergence.

Felipe can tolerate the Free Point because, in his view, the chaos at the Free Point is part of maintaining his maritime hegemony.

The terrifying pirates became a major obstacle for ships from all countries to pass through. If only Spanish ships could pass through Cape Liberty, then no one could challenge Spain's maritime hegemony.

This was a brilliant plan. When the Spanish Armada was invincible against the West, all pirates had to give face to Spanish merchant ships and dared not easily offend Felipe. No matter where you are, it is a very dangerous thing to put your hand in the pocket of a hegemon.

With the Spanish Armada no longer invincible, Spanish treasure ships became highly sought-after targets for pirates, and raids on these ships became increasingly frequent.

In Annam, Brunei, Siam and other places, pirates led by Lin Daoqian dared not attack Ming Dynasty merchant ships because the Ming Dynasty navy was powerful. After the establishment of the Nanyang Navy, they dared not do so even more.

This kind of timidity was very wise. The five rulers and seventy-two clans of Annam had just closed Da Nang, forbidding Ming merchant ships from entering and allowing Annamite ships to attack Ming merchant ships, which aroused the emperor's wrath. The Ming Dynasty mobilized 200,000 troops to punish the disobedient.

When plundering merchant ships became impossible, the lucrative human trafficking became the key to the pirates' survival. The method of passing on knowledge and skills among fellow villagers was very secretive in bringing people out. These more than 7,000 victims were all confirmed by the Maritime Trade Office and went to sea voluntarily, most of them claiming to be seeking refuge with relatives in Southeast Asia.

This secrecy was not fully exposed until the Ming Dynasty attacked Annam and captured Lin Mao, Lin Daoqian's nephew.

Wan Wenqing's memorial detailed the atrocities committed by these pirates, including imprisonment, beatings, humiliation, rape, dismemberment, disembowelment, and so on. They used every means to put people in extreme fear and eventually subdue them.

When Wanli opened up the seas, it was necessary to eliminate these filth and crimes. The entire navy was more than willing to undertake this mission, as it not only fulfilled the military spirit of reporting to the emperor and saving the people, but also proved their own value.

The Ming Dynasty's navy was indeed very expensive. The imperial court spent so much silver to support the Songjiang and Nanyang navies. The navy must do something, otherwise the court officials, wealthy merchants, and ordinary people would all wonder whether it was necessary to spend such a large sum of money to support the navy.

Zhu Yijun's imperial edict was passed down to Songjiang Prefecture and then headed south.

Sun Kehong, the former head of the Songjiang Ocean Merchant Guild and a third-class pioneering earl of the Ming Dynasty, rocked his swivel chair as he walked out of the prison in Songjiang Prefecture. Since stepping down as head of the guild, he knew very well that he had lost his value. He originally wanted to retire peacefully, but instead suffered an undeserved disaster.

"Master." Chen Jingyi, the new general manager of Yuanyang Trading Company, arrived in front of Songjiang Prefecture, saw Sun Kehong, and hurriedly stepped forward to grab Sun Kehong's swivel chair.

Sun Kehong pushed Chen Jingyi's hand and said, "Jingyi, you're confused. I'm just an old man, behind bars. Everyone avoids me like the plague. What are you doing here?"

Almost no one came to pick up Sun Kehong. Everyone was avoiding him to avoid suspicion. Sun Kehong had three adopted sons, but none of them came. Only Chen Jingyi came with a few people.

"I, Liu Zi, am a poor laborer. In this world, I only recognize the word 'righteousness' and repaying kindness is true righteousness," Chen Jingyi said with a smile as he pushed Sun Kehong along. Chen Jingyi's original name was Liu Zi, and the formal name Jingyi was given to him by Sun Kehong. Back then, when he wanted to become the manager of Songjiang Cotton Mill, he changed his name to this.

Chen Jingyi's words were very well thought out. On the one hand, he was indeed grateful for Sun Kehong's help; on the other hand, he had no foundation in Songjiang Prefecture and needed the Sun family's backing to stand firm. From the moment Sun Kehong recommended him to become the head of the business, he had already tied his honor and disgrace to Sun Kehong.

Sun Kehong didn't give the position to his son, but to Chen Jingyi. If Chen Jingyi didn't come, he would be the most shameless person, unrighteous, disloyal, unfilial, and untrustworthy. If he really became like that, Chen Jingyi wouldn't need to stay in Shanghai anymore; he might as well just jump into the sea.

Sun Kehong doesn't care whether Chen Jingyi is an actress or not. If she acts her whole life, then it's real. Living so clearly is worse than being a little confused.

“Your three adopted sons didn’t come, so I had them killed. They were unfilial children; they were useless to keep and only tarnished Master’s reputation,” Chen Jingyi said in a low voice.

In Chen Jingyi's words, these three adopted sons seemed like insignificant objects, but in Shanghai, they were actually very important figures, whose mere presence could shake the ground.

"You still have the same temper, always ready to take them down. This is the government office, not at sea or on a ship!"

"And what is your status now? President Shang, acting like this, shouting and threatening, what kind of behavior is this?" Sun Kehong feigned anger and reprimanded Chen Jingyi. He wasn't really angry; he had already retired and had no right to be angry. He was released from prison, and none of his three adopted sons came to pick him up. This is what happens when someone leaves and their influence fades.

Thankfully, Chen Jingyi had a conscience and came to pick him up, making him less embarrassed.

"Master's words are wise." Chen Jingyi smiled. He had achieved what he had today through his own hard work, and of course, he couldn't have done without Sun Kehong's guidance. He remembered all these lessons and benefited greatly from every single one.

Chen Jingyi learned his business acumen from Sun Kehong, especially in dealing with the imperial court—something that no one else could teach him.

Chen Jingyi frequently led ships to trade with the three governor-general's offices in the East Pacific. He was an absolute ruthless character with blood on his hands, including that of foreigners, barbarians from the East Pacific, various indigenous peoples, and Han Chinese. Most of the people who went to sea were desperate fugitives with nowhere else to turn, and there were often troublemakers jumping out on the ships.

Ruthless and merciless, showing no mercy in his actions, that's his defining characteristic.

"What did those three do?" Sun Kehong asked. Chen Jingyi was going to punish his three adopted sons, and their disobedience was just a pretext. Clearly, something had angered Chen Jingyi, so Sun Kehong thought it best to find out more.

"It's one thing for them to take a little silver; the money in this business belongs to everyone, and what goes into one's own pocket is one's own. But the silver they took was a bit tainted." Chen Jingyi recounted in detail what happened after Sun Kehong stepped down.

The money they took wasn't clean; it was smuggling. Most of it was legitimate goods, but recently Chen Jingyi discovered that these three people were also dealing in some illicit goods.

“People are truly insatiable. Don’t they make money from white goods? Isn’t sugar more profitable than opium? They’re so foolish.” After listening to these stories, Sun Kehong shook his head and said, “Take the money back. Don’t kill the person. In the Ming Dynasty, murder is punishable by death. After you take the money back, hand the person over to the government office. Magistrate Hu is quite fair in his dealings.”

"Yes." Chen Jingyi breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Sun Kehong say this. Sun Kehong really ordered him to kill someone. If he got blood on his hands in the heart of the Ming Dynasty, he would be in a difficult position.

Taking back the money and sending the people in is the way to ensure everyone's dignity.

Sun Kehong had reminded Chen Jingyi many times that in the heart of the Ming Dynasty, if one wanted to become a powerful and influential figure, one must first abide by the law. This was also the first principle in dealing with government offices. One should not let those in power feel challenged or offended.

“Recently, the imperial court issued an order to plant trees. I plan to donate 500,000 taels of silver in the name of the Ocean Merchant Guild, which should be enough to plant about six million trees,” Chen Jingyi said as he helped Sun Kehong into the carriage.

“Let’s pay an extra 200,000 taels of silver in the name of the Sun family. Planting trees is a good thing.” Sun Kehong sat in the car, his expression relaxing considerably. “This is also an ancestral law.”

"Huh?" Chen Jingyi asked blankly, "Planting trees is also an ancestral practice?"

“Hmm.” Sun Kehong said with emotion, “Many people in Emperor Taizu’s family starved to death. Emperor Taizu himself survived by eating persimmons. After Emperor Taizu ascended the throne and established the Ming Dynasty, he planted more than 50 million trees near Nanjing during the Hongwu period.”

"In the twenty-third year of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu Gao ordered that those with ten mu of land should plant one mu of trees, those with a thousand mu of land should plant two hundred trees, and those with two thousand mu of land should plant four hundred trees, and so on."

"There is even a large tung oil garden in Xiaoling, which was one of the most important tung oil producing areas during the Yongle period."

"It really is an ancestral law." Chen Jingyi was not a scholar, so he didn't know these things. In fact, most scholars didn't know these things either. Sun Kehong only learned about this past event after he broke his leg and had nothing to do at home. He read a lot of books and learned about them.

"Actually, Emperor Chengzu Wen also planted trees," Sun Kehong said with a smile. "During the Yongle era, when the Northern Palace of the capital was being built, Emperor Wen planted a thousand-mile pine forest in the Yanshan Mountains and forbade axes from entering the forest."

"Later, no one cared, and this thousand-mile pine forest was completely cut down. His Majesty is determined to restore the dynasty, so naturally he will follow the old ways of the Yongle Emperor. Did he dig out the thousand-mile pine forest from the old documents and plan to rebuild it?"

Logically, the emperor saw the magnificent pine forest stretching for miles in the old papers and decided to recreate it, since the Wanli Restoration needed to be compared with the Yongle Prosperity.

Chen Jingyi shook his head and said, "No, that's not it. Planting trees in the capital is the responsibility of the Shuntian Prefecture. This time, the main focus is on planting trees in the Northwest."

"The last wish of Shi Maohua, the former governor of Shaanxi, was to plant poplar trees in the Western Regions. Pan Jixun, the governor of Suiyuan, submitted a memorial requesting three million taels of silver to plant fast-growing poplars. The court did have the silver, but the wealthy households in Xitu City were willing to pay a donation, so His Majesty approved it."

"When we get to Songjiang Prefecture, the quota is only 800,000 taels of silver. I'll add another 100,000 taels of silver to make it 800,000 taels, so that Prefect Hu won't be in a difficult position."

The imperial court needed a total of three million taels of silver. The wealthy households in Xitu City contributed 800,000 taels, and Songjiang Prefecture contributed another 800,000 taels. Chen Jingyi originally planned to take 500,000 taels in the name of the merchant guild, but after Sun Kehong said this, they decided not to ask anyone else for the 800,000 taels and would take on the entire cost of the merchant guild.

“Planting trees is good. The predecessors plant trees so that the successors can enjoy the shade. The predecessors cut down trees so that the successors can be exposed to the sun.” Sun Kehong said with emotion, “Do you know why Emperor Gao and Emperor Wen planted trees? Because the emperors of the barbarians were no good. When Emperor Gao first arrived in Nanjing, the entire city of Nanjing was bare and there wasn’t a single tree.”

"When the wind blows, sand and stones fly, dust fills the sky, and the sun cannot be seen for several days. Where is the Jiangnan region?"

This is also why Zhu Di planted a thousand-mile pine forest in the Northern Palace. At that time, looking around, there wasn't a single tree in the Northern Palace; they had all been harvested.

"A year of wind, blowing from spring to winter; oil lamps by day, doors blocked with earth by night; nine out of ten mountains are bald, mud flows everywhere; when the wind rises, yellow sand flies, nine out of ten years are unsuccessful; daytime is as dark as polar night, people cannot be distinguished even when they are close at hand." Sun Kehong hummed a children's rhyme, which was about Shuntian Prefecture during the Yongle era.

He made an eight gesture and said, "In the thirteenth year of Hongwu, Emperor Wen was enfeoffed in Yan Prefecture. At that time, the capital was still called Beiping Prefecture. Emperor Wen personally led people to inspect the entire Beiping Prefecture. There were only eight thousand acres of remaining forest."

"How much?" Chen Jingyi sat up abruptly and asked in a daze.

Sun Kehong sighed and shook his head, saying, "In such a large capital city, there are only 8,000 mu of remaining forest. At that time, eighteen sand villages appeared in Shunyi and Changping. Even now, these eighteen sand villages are still not subject to land tax. It was only from the thirteenth year of Hongwu that Emperor Chengzu began to plant a thousand-mile pine forest, and this planting has lasted for more than forty years."

"Yanyun has been in the hands of the Hu people for hundreds of years and is in such a state of ruin. When you were in the capital, did you always see the prosperous scene you saw? Bald Mountain was the Northern Office at that time. Moving the capital to the Northern Office was really moving to a bitter and cold place."

"Why did the Hu people cut down the trees?" Chen Jingyi asked, full of doubt.

“For the sake of pasture, for raising sheep and horses.” Sun Kehong gave Chen Jingyi the answer. In the short reign of the Hu Yuan dynasty, which lasted less than a hundred years, they began to cut down forests to create more pasture, a practice that continued for a century. Even the trees in Nanjing were all cut down. “Therefore, the Han emperors were better. After all, it was their ancestral land, and they couldn’t bear to see it completely ruined.”

"Never before has the people suffered more from the tyranny of the government than now." Sun Kehong didn't really understand the prevailing sentiment among the Jiangnan literati to mourn the Yuan dynasty. Hu Yuan was indeed lenient, but what was there to miss about such a degenerate regime?

The people under Hu Yuan's rule suffered greatly under his tyranny, and were exhausted and struggling. There had never been a time when the situation was worse. Places that were originally planted with trees had turned into grasslands. The people did not even have firewood for cooking. How could they live in peace and prosperity?
They don't care about things that aren't their own. These barbarians who entered the Central Plains did nothing but cause their descendants to die out.

The more he read, the more he felt that the prevailing sentiments in Jiangnan were exactly as Li Yashi described. He had never seen anything like it, which was why he had unrealistic fantasies and always felt that the Ming Dynasty was meddling too much.

"And then?" Chen Jingyi asked in a low voice.

"The Tongyuan Garden of Xiaoling Mausoleum was burned to the ground, and the Thousand Pine Forest of Beiya was completely cut down during the Chenghua era." Sun Kehong's face was very bad. Around the ninth year of Zhengtong, the eunuch Wang Zhen and the court officials sold the Thousand Pine Forest to powerful and wealthy people because the court was in dire financial straits.

The relationship between humans and nature was fully discussed as early as the pre-Qin period, when various schools of thought emerged. The pre-Qin philosophers said: "Follow the laws of Heaven, Earth, the four seasons, and Nature." They emphasized the harmony between humans and nature, and that those who follow the laws of Heaven prosper while those who defy them perish.

For example, Xunzi said in "Wang Zhi": "Mountains, forests, marshes and rivers should be protected from logging without any restrictions or taxes."

For example, Guanzi wrote several articles such as "The Number of Earth", "Light and Heavy Armor", "The Number of Mountain Powers", and "The Rules of the Mountain State" to describe the importance of mountains, rivers, lakes and forests. Guanzi even bluntly stated: "A ruler who cannot carefully guard his mountains, forests, lakes and grasslands cannot be established as the king of the world."

If an emperor cannot protect his assets such as mountains and forests, and cannot align himself with the way of Heaven, he cannot be the king of the world.

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, everything was done to emphasize harmony between man and nature. However, later, as the economy suffered huge losses, everything that could be sold was sold, and the government could no longer control the situation.

Sun Kehong strongly agreed with the idea of ​​planting trees, believing it was a way to accumulate family wealth, and that even if future generations were unfilial, it would still ruin the family fortune for generations to come.

“The Ming Dynasty is so good now. Look at the roadside trees, how lush they are,” Sun Kehong said sincerely, looking out the car window at the roadside trees.

Many of the roadside trees along Songjiangfu Road were planted by Wang Qian when he was in Songjiang Prefecture. Before the Wanli Reforms, these roadside trees would not have grown this big before they were cut down. They grew vigorously and became very lush. Now that winter has arrived, the roadside trees have lost their leaves, but the bare branches still make people feel very at ease.

Xunzi liked to talk about the laws of the Three Kings, the laws of a thousand years, and the laws of a hundred years. These principles all seem rigid. Where can you find such tangible and reassuring trees?

When society is in widespread disorder, people will recklessly exploit nature, leading to its complete decay. This signifies a loss of social order and an impending major upheaval.

Trees and fragrant grasses reveal the rise and fall of dynasties.

Chen Jingyi escorted Sun Kehong back to the Sun residence before leaving. Sun Kehong was too lazy to care about his three adopted sons. Chen Jingyi was ruthless, and these three adopted sons would probably suffer a lot. The most painful thing would be that they were still alive, but their money was gone.

In just three days, Chen Jingyi swiftly recovered the money from his three adopted sons, leaving them with no time to react. Not only that, but he also incurred a huge debt for them.

All the shops, cotton mills, and dyeing workshops operated by these three adopted sons were under Sun Kehong's name.

Chen Jingyi didn't even need to resort to dirty tricks, like putting someone in a sack and beating them up, or using coercion and bribery. He simply had the merchant's accountant check all the books and uncovered their entire secrets.

At first, the three adopted sons intended to resist, but Chen Jingyi did not tolerate them. He directly gave the evidence of their tax evasion to the Songjiang Prefecture Tax Bureau. The Tax Bureau issued a death warrant, and they immediately became obedient and had no choice but to return the money.

He squandered a lot of money on extravagant spending, and had to borrow money to pay it back, which is why he ended up with a mountain of debt.

On the fourth day, Chen Jingyi sent his three adopted sons to the prison in Songjiang Prefecture. The charges of smuggling and opium smuggling were enough to get rid of them.

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Chen Jingyi visited Sun Kehong's home again to invite him to distribute porridge at Baolian Temple in Pudong County. This was a tradition that the Sun family had maintained since the fifth year of the Wanli reign when the family was liberated.

During the winter, with the support of the Sun family, Baolian Nunnery would distribute porridge to the poor and laborers. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Sun Kehong, the head of the family, would personally distribute the porridge.

Reputation is always the best shield for powerful and wealthy people; as for money, with reputation, there will be plenty of money.

Chen Jingyi waited outside the Sun residence when he suddenly felt a chill on his cheek. Looking up, he saw that it was raining and snowing. It was another cold winter, and he wondered how many people in Songjiang Prefecture would freeze to death this year.

"Chen Jingyi, you insolent servant! What have my eldest brother, second brother, and fourth brother done to offend you again? How dare you treat them like this! Today, I, Sun Chengzhi, will tell you that you cannot touch the people of the Sun family!" A man in his thirties rushed out of the Sun residence, stood in front of Chen Jingyi, raised his hand, and forcefully pulled at Chen Jingyi, intending to slap him.

Chen Jingyi reached out and grabbed Sun Chengzhi's hand, pulling and pushing him to the ground.

Chen Jingyi was a sailor; if he didn't have some martial arts skills, he would have sunk to the bottom of the sea long ago. Sun Chengzhi was just a spoiled brat; did he really think he could mess with him? Ten Sun Chengzhis wouldn't be enough for Chen Jingyi to beat up.

This is Sun Kehong's biological son, Sun Chengzhi. The eldest brother, second brother, and fourth brother he mentioned are the adopted sons that Chen Jingyi sent to prison. Sun Chengzhi also has an older sister and two younger brothers. Based on their years of interaction, their personalities are almost no different from Sun Chengzhi's.

Sun Chengzhi's actions stunned everyone present. The four burly men brought by Chen Jingyi stopped the reckless Sun Chengzhi.

Sun Chengzhi chose to take direct action because Chen Jingyi did not share the surname Sun. Sun Chengzhi felt that the three adopted sons were left in the business by their father to counterbalance Chen Jingyi's power. If Chen Jingyi dealt with them, it would be like servants disobeying their master.

These three adopted sons also bear the surname Sun; they were adopted by Sun Kehong from a collateral branch of the Sun family.

Chen Jingyi glanced at Sun Chengzhi. A good-for-nothing is a good-for-nothing. He can't even be serious when he's being reckless. He didn't say anything and just stood there quietly, listening to Sun Chengzhi's rant.

Sun Kehong appeared at the door, and Chen Jingyi hurriedly stepped forward, took the swivel chair, and whispered, "Today is Laba Festival, and the task of distributing porridge has been arranged. Master, be careful, you're crossing the threshold."

"Father! He's just a servant! A servant! A dog, daring to barge into our house and bully our Sun family!" Sun Chengzhi was still shouting when a cold glint flashed in Sun Kehong's eyes. Chen Jingyi was very familiar with this glint; it meant that Sun Kehong was truly enraged and intended to kill someone.

Sun Kehong has been a business tycoon for so many years, but his hands aren't exactly clean. Once you're out at sea, it's a lawless place. Throwing someone into the sea would mean certain death, and there's no evidence to prove that Sun Kehong authorized it.

Fortunately, this is his own son. If it were an outsider, Sun Chengzhi would probably have met with some kind of accident in a few days. Money is also a kind of power to control others, which is power. There are plenty of people who would try to curry favor with Sun Kehong for his money.

It's just that the laws of the Ming Dynasty were strictly enforced, so Sun Kehong rarely did such things.

"Sixth son, there was an article a while ago that said 95% of the families of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in our Great Ming Dynasty do not last more than three generations. Do you know why?" Sun Kehong ignored his son's clamor and asked Chen Jingyi after getting into the car.

“I don’t know. I come from a poor background. His antics today are nothing. I’ve had many more grievances than this since I was a child,” Chen Jingyi said truthfully.

Back in his hometown, he was forced to crawl between the legs of thugs and pushed into a latrine, all because he had no brothers and his father had died young.

When he was an apprentice in the dyeing workshop, he was pinned against the wall and beaten severely. The only copper coin he had was also stolen. He ate cold water soaked in bran for a whole month before he finally got his paycheck.

What happened today is really nothing compared to the grievances he has suffered in his forty years of life.

If he hadn't met Sun Kehong, his benefactor, he would still be struggling in the mud. So what if he was almost supernaturally clever? Getting ahead isn't just about talent. In a family like the Suns, he wouldn't even be qualified to be a servant.

"How can that be the same? You're President Chen now," Sun Kehong said with considerable concern.

“Then I am also Master’s disciple,” Chen Jingyi said with a smile.

Sun Kehong sighed and said, "My children have grown up in a world of false praise and respect. As for Sun Chengzhi, he doesn't understand where that praise and respect comes from at all. He doesn't know that he is Sun Kehong's son, which is why he receives such praise and respect."

"In this false boasting, he was quickly alienated by vanity. He felt that he was special, different from ordinary people, that he was born a noble person, and that everyone should do things according to his ideas."

"The alienation of vanity sets me apart from others. I act without any taboos, disregard all rules, and lack sufficient reverence for anyone and anything."

“It would be strange if the family business, left to someone like this, didn’t go bad.”

"Do you know? Sun Chengzhi has never realized that Songjiang Ocean Merchants Bank is a merchant bank of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court, and Songjiang Prefecture, not just the Sun family's. He doesn't understand this point and treats the Ocean Merchants Bank, this public institution and company, as his own."

"After I die, just spare their lives."

Sun Kehong was pleading for his own son. Given Chen Jingyi's vengeful nature, Sun Chengzhi was likely to meet a terrible end. Now, Chen Jingyi was the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, a big shot, no longer the lackey who could be bullied at will.

Sun Kehong had no choice. If his son had been more capable, he wouldn't have needed to rely on an outsider. The position of general manager of a business empire was not easy to hold; it required a shrewd and resourceful mind.

"A debt of gratitude must be repaid, and a grudge must be avenged." Chen Jingyi shook his head and said, "What belongs to the Sun family will not be shortchanged. Now that Master is gone, I will discipline them properly and ensure they live a life of wealth and honor."

A favor that requires a meal must be repaid, and a grudge that requires an eye for an eye must be retaliated against. This is Chen Jingyi's rule of conduct. Sun Kehong has done him a great favor, and he will definitely repay this favor.

"What if Sun Chengzhi doesn't listen to you?" Sun Kehong asked after thinking for a moment.

Chen Jingyi said very seriously, "Then I'll beat him up. When Master is here, I'll let him hit me. But now that Master is gone, he still wants to hit me? I'll give him a good beating."

Sun Kehong felt relieved. Chen Jingyi kept his word and really intended to take revenge. All he had to do was ignore everything; there were plenty of swindlers who could swindle Sun Chengzhi out of everything.

In official circles, there are those who hunt down honest and upright officials; in the general public, there are plenty of people who hunt down those who are arrogant and extravagant, and they often succeed.

Sun Kehong wasn't afraid of his descendants indulging in extravagance; his only fear was that they would try to prove themselves, and that even the largest fortune would be squandered.

(End of this chapter)