I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1094 Jinshan Mausoleum, the one where the emperor erected the pillar.
Zhang Juzheng was indeed getting quite old. As people age, they become stubborn and their views on issues become biased, entirely subjective, and they no longer affirm objective reality. Zhang Juzheng himself was aware of this, which is why he retired in the twentieth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign and no longer concerned himself with the affairs of the court.

For example, he blamed Gao Qiyu for the fact that the children in the public school were swearing.

This is the most typical sign that a person has become biased, liking to blame the individual for systemic failures. This way of thinking is the kind of thinking that Zhang Juzheng criticized very severely for. In his "Memorial on the Common Problems of the Lowly Confucian Scholars", he called this phenomenon "generalizing from a single instance".

Some pedantic scholars always like to use one-sided, individual cases to completely deny an entire group or a class, or even to judge the good or bad of a class. It's one thing for an individual to have this kind of thinking, but for the ruling class of the Ming Dynasty, this kind of thinking is unacceptable.

Since its establishment, the Salary Arbitration Institute has handled more than 8,000 cases of all sizes, including several thousand class-action lawsuits. It is a key tool for balancing labor disputes. However, among the cases handled by the Salary Arbitration Institute, there are indeed more than 1,000 cases where the wronged party was wronged.

Some poor laborers, taking advantage of the wage and labor arbitration office's bias, and with the mentality of "trying anything even if it's not guaranteed," caused trouble and made unreasonable demands at the wage and labor arbitration office.

Should we deny the existence of a class of poor laborers just because of these extortionate and blackmailing people?
Similarly, Felipe fell into this way of thinking in his later years. He blamed the entire decline of Western trade entirely on the English, without considering that his own exploitative methods were the root of the problem.

Zhang Juzheng's attribution of the systemic problems in public schools caused by the changing times to Gao Qiyu alone is biased. Moreover, Zhang Juzheng never even considered whether Gao Qiyu could bear such blame.

When Zhang Juzheng learned that the emperor was aware of this phenomenon and was correcting it through decrees aimed at rectifying the conduct and performance of teachers, he was immediately satisfied.

Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng talked for a long time, mainly about the novel written by the Imperial Tutor and Grand Tutor, the sequel to Journey to the West. Some of the content in it was no longer just veiled criticism; the protagonist was actually the emperor himself. In Zhu Yijun's opinion, it was simply a very enjoyable novel.

It's as if the Ming Dynasty's revival was solely due to the efforts of the Ming emperor.

Zhu Yijun felt that Zhang Juzheng's writing was incorrect. He hoped that Zhang Juzheng would write "the people are of one mind, the superiors and inferiors are of the same mind, the army and the people work together, and we are invincible under heaven", and not overemphasize the individual heroism.

The success of the Wanli Reforms in the Ming Dynasty belonged to everyone in the entire Ming Dynasty, not just a few individuals like Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng. This overemphasis on individual heroism is clearly biased.

But Zhang Juzheng disagreed, and his reasons were quite valid: it was a fictional account, not official history.

He certainly knew that the revival of the Ming Dynasty was the result of everyone working together with one heart and one mind, but he was writing a novel, so there was a need to focus the reader's attention; otherwise, the main plot would be lost.

It was just a novel, and Zhu Yijun wouldn't interfere. Apart from the matter of eating chili peppers, Zhu Yijun never interfered with Zhang Juzheng's personal life.

Zhang Juzheng left Yanqing Palace satisfied. Zhu Yijun whispered something to Zhang Hong, who then led the agents of the Eastern Depot and the secret police of the Zhenfu Division to the storytelling venue and public school that Zhang Juzheng had visited that day to conduct a thorough investigation.

It was ultimately determined that Zhang Juzheng had indeed seen the phenomenon by chance, and that no one had deliberately set a trap for him, taking advantage of his dislike for Gao Qiyu to incite factional strife or muddy the waters.

This was not a purge of Zhang Juzheng.

After the imperial guards investigated thoroughly, Zhu Yijun breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Juzheng had already retired and lost the power to protect himself. Zhu Yijun had to be vigilant at all times to prevent Zhang Juzheng from falling into a passive position or being hunted down.

The emperor always anticipated the enemy's actions with leniency. In the cruel and bloody political struggle, he never overestimated anyone's morality or bottom line. Only by anticipating the enemy's actions with leniency could he avoid being passive.

Zhang Hong and Zhao Mengyou, the chief of the Imperial Guards, had a detailed discussion. In fact, His Majesty was overthinking things. Zhang Juzheng was old, but not stupid. Zhang Juzheng was most skilled in governance and had fought with people all his life. Whether it was a conspiracy or not, he didn't even need to carefully judge it. He could guess most of it just by instinct.

Who could defeat Zhang Juzheng? Gao Gong, Yang Bo, Wang Chonggu, Ge Shouli, and Zhang Siwei, even if they were all put together, couldn't defeat him.

His Majesty thinks Zhang Juzheng has retired, but his direct disciples include a Grand Secretary, a member of the Western Study, Liang Menglong, Minister of War, Li Le, Governor of Songjiang, Wang Xiyuan, Governor of Yingtian, Xiong Tingbi, Governor of Edo, and the emperor who holds supreme power in the world!
Is Zhang Juzheng easy to bully? Is there a plot to hunt down Zhang Juzheng? I don't know why His Majesty thinks Zhang Juzheng is easy to bully.

It's actually easy to understand. The emperor was so familiar with Zhang Juzheng that his perception of him became somewhat skewed, and he overlooked Zhang's terrifying power. As long as the emperor, Zhang Juzheng, and Qi Jiguang were still alive, they were power itself.

After Zhang Juzheng left, Zhu Yijun approved a memorial from the Ministry of Revenue, allocating 200,000 taels of silver to Jinshan Mausoleum for overall renovation, including leveling the land, increasing greenery, planting flowers and horticulture, cleaning and sanitation, and reinforcing the buildings. This silver was spent every five years. Compared to the mausoleum of the late emperor, which had not received any additional funding for a long time, Jinshan Mausoleum underwent minor repairs every three years and major repairs every five years.

"This Gao Qiyu is indeed quite intelligent." Zhu Yijun looked at the joint memorial submitted by Zhang Xueyan, Minister of Revenue, and Gao Qiyu, Minister of Rites. Zhang Xueyan mainly addressed the issue of expenditure, while Gao Qiyu addressed the issue of rites and laws.

Zhang Xueyan felt it was a bit too expensive; 200,000 taels of silver was a lot, but the items used were all of good quality, so it was indeed worth the price.

Gao Qiyu deduced the emperor's purpose: the supreme glory of Jinshan Mausoleum was to completely bind the personal interests of the highest decision-making level of the Ming Dynasty, including the emperor and the Grand Secretaries, with the interests of the Ming Dynasty and the world.

Gao Qiyu said this from his own perspective. He worked hard all day long, and even refused to join the cabinet, all so that he could have the highest honors after his death, be buried in Jinshan Cemetery for future generations to admire.
The existence of Jinshan Cemetery meant that, let alone ministers fighting amongst themselves, they wouldn't dare to go in and dig up graves. Even the emperor himself would find it extremely difficult to lift someone out of there; it would be like ripping himself in the face.

In the story of establishing trust by moving a log, Shang Yang not only refused to give the man who carried the log gold, but also took the log back. This is something no human being would do.

Jinshan Cemetery is the pillar erected by the emperor.

Moreover, even if the Ming Dynasty falls and a new dynasty is established, the new government cannot and dares not demolish the Jinshan Mausoleum; in fact, it will have to be repaired.

The First Emperor's tomb is so large, and every dynasty has condemned the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, yet no one has dared to dig it up. Such an act of desecrating ancestral tombs would cause a great uproar.

Even a new dynasty must establish a similar mausoleum for its meritorious officials to maintain a similar order. It must compare its contributions to the advancement of history with those who contributed to the Wanli Reforms; otherwise, it cannot prove that it is the one destined by Heaven.

The destiny of heaven is the convergence of the three bodies—past, present, and future—at the crown of the head.

Jinshan Cemetery is a real-world manifestation of order, a mausoleum built by the emperor to completely bind the highest decision-making body to the Ming Dynasty.

It must be said that Gao Qiyu's understanding of etiquette and law is indeed much clearer than that of Wan Shihe and Shen Li. Jinshan Cemetery was built when Wan Shihe was alive, and Wan Shihe died and was buried in Jinshan Cemetery, but he did not realize it. Shen Li has been the Grand Minister of Rites for so long, but he still does not understand it, and only has a vague feeling.

On the contrary, Gao Qiyu completely exposed the emperor's purpose and plan for order.

Zhang Hong saw that His Majesty praised Gao Qiyu for being clever and understood the emperor's intention. However, Zhang Hong also saw the process by which the idea that "His Majesty is right" was formed. In fact, there had been opposition to the extravagant spending on the Jinshan Mausoleum from the very beginning.

Wang Guoguang had objected, feeling that the cost was too high, but the emperor said to use the imperial treasury, so the Ministry of Revenue did not object and even covered half of the construction costs. Wang Guoguang's objection was because he was meticulous about every penny. All the ministers of the Ministry of Revenue in the Ming Dynasty were like this, wanting to split every penny in half.

However, some officials who were in charge of censorship objected because they felt the enormous expense was completely unnecessary.

Gao Qiyu's clear statement today proves that His Majesty is right. Under this correctness, a habit has formed throughout the Ming Dynasty: do not oppose His Majesty's decisions, just do them first, and you will gradually understand.

Of course, problems can easily arise. Once the emperor gets old, senile, neglects his duties, or gets stuck in a rut, it becomes very difficult for anyone to correct his behavior.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Zhu Yijun heard some news: Sun Kehong, the former general manager of the Songjiang Ocean Merchants, had personally swiveled his chair to the Songjiang government office to file a complaint, intending to send his own son, the second son Sun Chengcheng, to prison in order to uphold family discipline.

This was definitely not a trivial matter, and Zhu Yijun personally took charge of the case.

Sun Chengzhi was the eldest, and Sun Chengcheng was the second eldest. The eldest was only a little confused, while the second eldest was completely inhuman.

Sun Chengcheng forcibly abducted a woman.

At the end of last year, Sun Chengcheng took a fancy to a respectable woman, a daughter of the Chen family, who were also owners of the trading company. The Chen family was not a prestigious family like the Sun family, which had been established for hundreds of years. The Chen family was a wealthy family that emerged after the opening of the sea.

Sun Chengcheng took a fancy to the Chen family's daughter and wanted to take her as a concubine. Although the Chen family was a newly wealthy merchant family and was willing to make this connection, they were not too happy about her being just a concubine. Sun Chengcheng's first wife had passed away, so it would be even better if she were his second wife.

Sun Kehong also inquired about the Chen family's character and felt that the Chen family was worthy of a marriage alliance, but Sun Chengcheng refused. This second son's thinking was very strange. He was the one who had his eye on them, but he felt that the Chen family was not worthy!

The Chen family didn't even have a single scholar who passed the imperial examinations. They only gained some money because of the opening of the sea. Do they really deserve to be in-laws with the Sun family?
And so the marriage fell through.

On the Lantern Festival (January 15th of the lunar calendar) this year, there was a temple fair in Songjiang Prefecture. Sun Chengcheng saw Chen's daughter again at the temple fair. After drinking some wine, he became lustful and ordered his henchmen to kidnap her and take her to the backyard to rape her.

After the case broke out, Chen Jingyi, the current head of the business, immediately received the news, stepped in to block the news, and communicated with the Chen family in the hope of calming things down.

Chen Jingyi was truly willing to spend money. He spent 10,000 taels of silver just to block the news, and the compensation he gave to the Chen family was as much as 50,000 taels of silver.

The Chen family had no choice but to accept this outcome. Chen Jingyi was known for his ruthlessness in Songjiang Prefecture. It was true that Sun Chengcheng had made a mistake first, but Chen Jingyi was still willing to give each other some dignity. If things really came to a head, the Sun family would not benefit, and the Chen family, lacking sufficient resources, would likely face ruin and death.

We have no choice but to accept this loss.

If the matter had ended there, it would have been over. But seeing that someone was settling things, Sun Chengcheng immediately asked the Chen family for the daughter, arguing that if she became pregnant, she would belong to the Sun family, and that he, as a man, had to take responsibility for his actions.

The Chen family took the money and eventually gave their daughter to Sun Chengcheng. Sun Chengcheng didn't dare bring her home, so he raised her outside.

At the end of March, Chen's daughter died; Sun Chengcheng strangled her to death.

If no one had died, the matter could have been kept quiet. These were all prominent figures in Songjiang Prefecture. But once someone died, it immediately caused a stir, and it was only eventually that the news reached the ears of Sun Kehong, the old father.

Everyone in the Sun family knew that Sun Kehong was old, so when something happened in the mansion, the young masters asked them to keep it a secret, and the servants all kept it from Sun Kehong.

Moreover, the servants of wealthy and powerful families, having served in such households for a long time, have become somewhat eccentric. They consider themselves members of the family, the masters, and believe that this is merely the second young master's romantic affair, a trivial matter that need not disturb the master.

"No, this is a murder case, and Chen Jingyi is still going to cover for Sun Lao Er?" Zhu Yijun found it strange and said to Zhang Hong while looking at Hu Junde's memorial.

After the death, Chen Jingyi paid 100,000 taels of silver to settle the matter, forbidding the Chen family from holding a funeral, ordering them to bury the person hastily, and forbidding them from publicizing the incident or pursuing the matter further.

Zhang Hong shook his head and said, "What else can we do but cover it up? If we don't, people will gossip. Sun Kehong is still around, and Chen Jingyi is planning to use a substitute, so we have no choice but to cover it up."

“He’s willing to cover it up, and he actually can.” Zhu Yijun frowned.

The Chen family admitted defeat once again. If they compromised once, they would compromise again. The man was already dead, so there was no point in saying anything more. The Chen family had accepted 100,000 taels of silver from Chen Jingyi, so they dared not pursue the matter too much.

As the saying goes, "If the people don't report it, the officials won't investigate," and this murder case only caused a great stir within a small circle. However, because everyone in the know kept silent, it didn't cause a major uproar. Eventually, however, the news reached Sun Kehong's ears, and Sun Kehong had his second son tied up and sent to the yamen. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, for the three crimes of abducting a woman, rape, and murder, Sun's second son was certain to die.

Sun Kehong is really willing to spend money.

"In other words, this case wasn't simply covered up by Chen Jingyi just because Sun Kehong brought the second son to the prefectural government office." Zhu Yijun felt that things shouldn't have turned out this way; the powerful figures in Songjiang Prefecture were showing some disrespect for the imperial court.

Murder cases are criminal cases, yet they dare to suppress them and have people cover for them, blatantly undermining the fairness of the judiciary.

This case also proves once again that fairness and justice are always a matter of personal preference.

From Chen Jingyi's perspective, he had no choice but to cover for him. Sun Kehong had done him a great favor, and if Chen Jingyi did nothing, he would be criticized behind his back. He could only cover for him once or twice.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and said, "Next, in Songjiang Prefecture, dismiss Chen Jingyi, arrest and interrogate him, and replace him with a new head of the merchant guild. Let the Ocean Merchant Guild put forward one."

"The eldest son, Sun Chengzhi, is just a bit muddle-headed and selfish, but the second son has dragged Chen Jingyi down with him."

Upon receiving news of his dismissal, Chen Jingyi was immediately taken away by the yamen runners. Because the facts of the case were clear and the evidence was conclusive, Sun Kehong collected all the witnesses, physical evidence, and other documents before filing a complaint with the yamen, thus skipping the investigation process altogether.

The case was handled quickly. In mid-April, Hu Junde held a trial in his court. As a major case that had alarmed the emperor, it was naturally to be handled swiftly and strictly.

Sun Chengcheng was sentenced to immediate execution, and Chen Jingyi was sentenced to one hundred strokes of the cane for aiding and abetting the tyrant. However, the government also took into account the need to uphold public order and good customs of loyalty and filial piety, and reduced the one hundred strokes to fifty.

Chen Jingyi was a tough man, but after taking fifty lashes, he was left with only half a breath. If it weren't for the rapid advancements in Ming Dynasty medicine, he probably wouldn't have had a breath left after those fifty lashes.

"Sixth son, your master has ruined you." Sun Kehong did not visit his second son, as if he had never had this vicious and rebellious son. However, he still pushed his swivel chair to the Chen residence to visit Chen Jingyi. By the way, he wanted to return the 160,000 taels of silver to Chen Jingyi.

Sun Kehong was old, but he could still keep track of the family accounts. The money for settling disputes was all paid for by Chen Jingyi using his own money.

“There’s nothing to do with harm or not. I was an accomplice in the death of the Chen family girl. If I hadn’t helped the second young master the first time, he wouldn’t have committed murder. I am guilty. Prefect Hu’s handling of the matter was indeed fair. He didn’t give me a full hundred lashes, and he didn’t beat me to death. He was already showing consideration for my loyalty and filial piety.” Chen Jingyi said weakly, lying on the bed.

In this case, the Chen family's daughter died, and the second son was also going to die. Sun Kehong personally sent his son to prison, and Chen Jingyi lost his ninth-rank official position as the head of the business community. He was also beaten with fifty strokes of the cane and was left barely alive.

"Why are you helping him? Didn't I tell you? My sons committed crimes, so I took them to the government office for them to deal with!"

"I've told you many times not to provoke the imperial court's authority. You've managed to protect yourself, but you've also put yourself in a very difficult position," Sun Kehong said, looking visibly aged after this incident, somewhat distraught.

The second son deserved to die, but he had four sons and more than a dozen grandsons. Yet the disciple he had personally instructed and taught had also gone astray, becoming a powerful figure, a business tycoon, and a corrupt official, challenging the authority of the imperial court. He deserved to receive fifty strokes of the cane.

“Master, what do you think Liu Zi can do? Sigh.” Chen Jingyi shook his head and said, “If I don’t cover for him, people will think that I, Liu Zi, am ungrateful, covet your family property, and deliberately set a trap for the Second Young Master.”

“The other young masters all think that if they can get the second young master in today, they can get the other young masters in tomorrow as well.”

Chen Jingyi had his own concerns. He hadn't forgotten what his master had taught him, but in this matter, he could only do this. He, Chen Liuzi, had indeed risen from humble beginnings, but he was not an unfilial person. In one's life, loyalty and righteousness are fundamental.

Sun Kehong spun around in his chair and came to stand in front of Chen Jingyi. He said with a troubled expression, "So what if they think that way? So what if I think that way? You're not going to lose to those good-for-nothings. Why make things difficult for yourself?"

Those good-for-nothings were no match for Chen Jingyi, but the old man in front of him was ruthless. Chen Jingyi was really afraid that the old man would misunderstand.

Chen Jingyi said, "Then how can I carry my master's coffin, attend to his funeral, and offer incense after his death? Would I even be worthy of being a human being?"

"If I have any regrets, it's that I didn't give the Second Young Master a good beating after what happened on the Lantern Festival, so he would know to repent. If I had given him a beating, he wouldn't have dared to act so recklessly."

Chen Jingyi really wanted to beat the second son to a pulp, to make him unable to get out of bed, so that he would know that making mistakes would have consequences, and that no one in the world could do whatever they wanted.

Unfortunately, Chen Jingyi felt that Sun Kehong was still alive, so he didn't take action.

"You've suffered. Your master is old and useless. The servants in the manor also know that your master is old, so they don't treat him as the head of the household and keep everything from me." Sun Kehong leaned back in his swivel chair, looking at the roof beam, and could only sigh.

What angered Sun Kehong the most was that, as the master, he was the last to know; everyone kept it from him.

Chen Jingyi, whose surname was Chen, was an outsider and it was inconvenient for him to talk about his master's family's scandals. However, no one in the mansion was talking about it. For a moment, Sun Kehong was overwhelmed with sorrow. He had been arrogant all his life, but in the end, such a thing happened.

Chen Jingyi wanted to say something, but seeing Sun Kehong's sorrowful face, he ultimately hesitated and didn't say anything.

"Liu Zi, something's on your mind. Speak up." Sun Kehong immediately noticed Chen Jingyi's expression, sat up straight, and looked at Chen Jingyi with sharp eyes, like a sick tiger.

That sheer force of her presence startled Chen Jingyi.

After careful consideration, Chen Jingyi said, "The Second Young Master is lustful, but not that much. On the day of the Lantern Festival, someone persuaded him to drink, and he even drank some wine before falling for it."

"Who?" Sun Kehong's expression changed drastically, and he immediately asked.

Chen Jingyi took a deep breath before speaking, "I haven't investigated that thoroughly, but I suspect it was the Third Young Master who did it. There was something in the wine that day."

Actually, he had found out that it was the third brother who did it, but he couldn't say it so decisively. He suggested that the old man investigate it himself and find out the truth.

Chen Jingyi both respected and feared Sun Kehong.

This old businessman, who had lost a leg but still dominated Shanghai for twenty years, was his mentor. Similarly, Chen Jingyi dared not be disloyal or unfilial. Chen Jingyi was really afraid that Sun Kehong would misunderstand him, not only dying under mysterious circumstances but also bearing the infamy of being ungrateful.

"I understand." Sun Kehong's sadness vanished, replaced by a fierce expression.

Now, things have become simpler; Sun Kehong is still alive!
His own sons started fighting tooth and nail over the inheritance!

Sun Kehong left calmly, and Chen Jingyi finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling completely at ease. With the old man's intervention, they could finally have a few years of peace.

Of Sun Kehong's four sons, the eldest, Sun Chengzhi, was slightly better. Although Sun Chengzhi was muddle-headed and often said nonsense, he was only a bit selfish. He still regarded the Sun family as a whole and prioritized the interests of the Sun family.

The remaining few are all preparing to demolish the house.

Of course, compared to Chen Jingyi, Sun Kehong's four sons were all scoundrels.

Seven days later, a very unexpected guest suddenly appeared at Chen Jingyi's residence. Xing Yanqiu, the young master of Mingyi Shoe Shop, came to pay a visit.

"The Merchant Guild has nominated me to be their head, and the nomination has already been submitted to the imperial court. I was quite surprised when I heard this. My father told me to come and pay my respects to Brother Chen as soon as possible. I am not familiar with these etiquettes, so please forgive my abrupt visit." Xing Yanqiu was truly very polite, bowing and greeting him.

"You're too kind, my dear brother. Please, have a seat." Chen Jingyi said with a hint of helplessness, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh at me like this."

"Um, Brother Chen, why are your hands and feet tied to the stool?" Xing Yanqiu asked the question that had been bothering him since they first met.

Chen Jingyi looked rather strange. He was lying on a long bench with his hands and feet tied to the bench legs, making him unable to move. This was quite odd, especially when receiving guests.

"The wound on my back has scabbed over, but it's so itchy I can't stop itching, so I had no choice but to tie myself up." Chen Jingyi told Xing Yanqiu the truth. Xing Yanqiu was the new CEO of Huitui, and he was an important guest who had to be seen. But since he was self-isolating to heal his wound, he could only meet the guest in this way.

"Huimin Pharmacy has pain-relieving opium." Xing Yanqiu still found it a bit strange. If they were already using pain-relieving opium, why would they have to suffer like this?
Chen Jingyi shook his head and said, "I don't use opium. I've been to the sea nine times, in the East Pacific and in Southeast Asia, and I've seen too many people and monsters who take opium. I avoid using it if I can, and I can still resist the urge."

"Brother Chen, you've seen a lot. But is it really true that you can't handle too much opium?" Xing Yanqiu admired Chen Jingyi for being a real man. Songjiang Prefecture was known for its good security, and Xing Yanqiu had never seen many narcotics before.

"It can't withstand it," Chen Jingyi said with absolute certainty. "Don't touch it, and don't be curious."

Chen Jingyi had a toothache and went to Huimin Pharmacy to have a tooth extracted, where she used opium.

He can accept using it with caution and following the doctor's orders, but his attitude is to avoid using it if possible, because he knows he can't handle it.

"Human, demon, thing, monster" was a term used in the Ming Dynasty specifically to describe poisonous insects. When opium was used too much, people no longer belonged to themselves. A demon would grow in their hearts, and they would eventually become objects or monsters. That is the meaning of "human, demon, thing, monster".

Just look at Fan Wuqi. After Fan Yingqi was detoxified at the Jieku Academy, he changed his name, but he didn't dare to leave the academy. He became a medical fanatic. He wanted to use the Jieku Academy to suppress his inner demons and monsters. He was afraid that he would be transformed into a monster by his inner demons if he left the environment of the Jieku Academy.

"Brother Chen is very knowledgeable and experienced. I hope you will give me more guidance and help in the future. I have never been to sea before. As a business tycoon, I am afraid I will have to rely on your guidance." Xing Yanqiu said that he came to pay his respects and recognize his elder brother.

Chen Jingyi didn't even need to trip him up or deliberately make things difficult. Chen Jingyi didn't say a word, and Xing Yanqiu couldn't handle it. Xing Yanqiu was obviously aware of this.

"It's not really about giving pointers, it's just about taking care of each other," Chen Jingyi said politely.

As the most wealthy family in Songjiang Prefecture, the internal strife within the Sun Kehong family over the inheritance ended very quickly. The third son was exiled by Sun Kehong to the Jinchi Governor's Mansion in Juezhou, while the fourth son was sent directly to the Kingdom of Jinshan across the ocean.

The eldest son, Sun Chengzhi, was no longer as arrogant as before. He was trembling with fear and obeyed his father's orders. Sun Chengzhi never expected that his three younger brothers were actually preparing to destroy the house!
Even the second son, who was sentenced to immediate execution, was plotting to seize more of the family fortune and transfer the Sun family's cotton mill to his name!

Of all these children, Sun Chengzhi was surprisingly the most easy to manage.

(End of this chapter)