money player

There is a saying that goes, "Half of the history of the Republic of China is in Zhejiang." In fact, it is not referring to the Jiangzhe financial groups that stir up trouble, but to the Zhejiang literati. Cultural figures from Zhejiang occupied half of the cultural world during the Republic of China period and also made great contributions to the education world.

When it comes to politics, the saying "Half of the history of the Republic of China is about the Song family" would be more accurate. For a long time, the politics of the Republic of China actually revolved around the Song family.

The political eye of the Soong family was not Soong Tzu-wen, who served as the Minister of Finance for more than ten years, nor was it Soong May-ling, the wife of the Chairman, nor was it Soong Ching-ling, but Soong Ailing, the eldest sister.

Song Ailing is known as the first female Chinese student studying abroad. She attended Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, USA during her high school years. Song Ailing not only had excellent grades, but was also talented in music and performance. After graduating in 1910, American media predicted that the young Song Ailing had learned a wealth of knowledge in the United States and would become the first lady after returning to China.

It seemed that she had a real chance of becoming the president's wife.

After returning to China, Song Ailing first worked in her father's Huamei Press, and was later recommended to serve as the treasurer's secretary of the Tongmenghui. Her main responsibilities included raising funds, registering books, and drawing charts of income and expenditure.

In December 1911, Sun Yat-sen, a close friend of Song's father who was in exile abroad, returned to Shanghai. At the recommendation of Song's father, she began to serve as Sun Yat-sen's English and administrative secretary. The English manuscript of Sun's oath of office when he took office as the provisional president was written by Song Ailing.

Secretary work is arduous and trivial, but Miss Song has a strong memory and is decisive and appropriate. She can handle any troublesome matter in an orderly manner. Therefore, she was highly praised by Sun Yat-sen: "I am very satisfied with the secretary you recommended. It can be said that she is American-style efficient."

China in the early 1913th century was turbulent and changing rapidly. After Sun Yat-sen stepped down as provisional president, he launched the Second Revolution against Yuan Shikai in July 7. After his failure, he went into exile in Japan. Since Song's father was very close to Sun Yat-sen, he had to flee to Japan with his family for refuge.

In Japan, it was still Song Ailing who took care of Sun Yat-sen's food and daily life.

It seems that Sun Yat-sen's emotional ethics were probably not very good. Song Ailing was knowledgeable, cultured, smart and beautiful, and there was a high probability that she would enter Sun Yat-sen's heart.

As for Song Ailing, she probably also had feelings for Sun Yat-sen. However, Miss Song was probably a rational and realistic woman. She felt that Sun Yat-sen's ambitions would be difficult to succeed and that he could not give her a stable life. So she listened to her father's dissuasion and married the young talent Kong Xiangxi.

Kong Xiangxi received his undergraduate degree from Oberlin College in Ohio and his master's degree from Yale. Upon graduation in 1907, he returned to his hometown and founded Mingxian School.

Mingxian Academy was funded by Oberlin College to commemorate six missionaries from the Oberlin Student Volunteer Mission, but it was Kong Xiangxi who applied for the money and it was he who proposed the project. In doing so, he not only pleased the school but also achieved the goal of laying eggs by borrowing a hen.

The Chinese people have always attached great importance to their teacher-student relationship, and students and former officials have always been important sources of personal connections.

Mingxian School was originally an elementary school. Later, a four-year middle school class was added, and later a university preparatory class was expanded. While cultivating many outstanding students, it also provided a foundation for Kong Xiangxi's future development in the political arena.

Kong Xiangxi was smart, and so was Miss Song. Due to the weak teaching staff, after they got married, Song Ailing went to Mingxian School to teach in person. She mainly taught English, and when she was free, she would visit students' homes to solve outstanding problems of their families. These actions made the couple greatly respected by students and gained a lot of reputation in the local area.

As expected, one has to stand high enough to be seen. The deeds of Kong Song were heard by Yan Xishan, the then governor of Shanxi and a senior official, who hired him as a councilor.

Although he was called a councilor, he was actually a translator. As a model province in the early days of the Republic of China, Shanxi was often visited by foreign ministers stationed in China. Kong Xiangxi did not feel that his talent was wasted. He did his best to entertain foreign guests and used his councilor work as a platform to showcase himself, which made Yan Xishan very satisfied.

After that, whether it was the establishment of a drug rehabilitation association, the loan of 100 million US dollars from the Chinese and Foreign Relief Association, the construction of two highways in western and eastern Shanxi through work-for-relief, or the relief of the victims of the severe drought in Shanxi, all these brought Kong Xiangxi a good reputation. In a short time, Kong Xiangxi became famous, and a glittering official career also offered him an olive branch.

In 1922, Kong Xiangxi was recommended by his good friend Wang Zhengting to serve as the director of the Industrial Department of the "Shandong Case" Supervision Office, assisting Wang Zhengting in handling negotiations on the return of sovereignty over Jiaodong, which was dominated by the Japanese. This was the first time that Kong Xiangxi officially served as an official of the Beiyang government at that time, and thus entered the official career.

Song Ailing's marriage to Kong Xiangxi can be regarded as a strong combination. They had similar growth curves, the same overseas study background, and both had keen business and political acumen.

The old topic of marrying someone of equal social status is indeed very important in affecting marriage. During the couple's decades of walking hand in hand, Mr. Kong did not get involved in any scandals, and Miss Song also stably and strongly dominated the rise and fall of the Kong family, and even the direction of the entire Song family.

In politics, Soong Ailing pushed Soong Ching-ling and Sun Yat-sen to get together, and she also planned the marriage between Soong May-ling and Chiang Kai-shek.

In 1922, Sun Yat-sen held a party on Moliere Street in the French Concession in Shanghai. Chiang Kai-shek met Soong May-ling, who was years old at the time. He was immediately fascinated by the graceful Miss Soong.

Miss Song San has admired heroes since she was a child. At that time, Chiang Kai-shek gave people the image of a passionate young man who had done many great things. The two were attracted to each other, like a turtle looking at a mung bean, and they fell in love.

Chiang Kai-shek asked Sun Yat-sen to act as a matchmaker, and Sun readily agreed. In his opinion, this young man, who had just fought with him on the Yongfeng ship for 42 days in June to resist the rebellion of Chen Jiongming, the commander-in-chief of the Guangdong Army, was brave, decisive, loyal, talented and handsome, and there was nothing wrong with matching him with his wife's younger sister.

As for having three wives and four concubines, Sun Yat-sen was not a decent person, so he naturally would not think that there was anything wrong with Chiang Kai-shek who had one wife and one concubine, several female confidants, and liked to visit prostitutes.

But Old Sun thought too much. Not to mention the Song family, he couldn't even get past Soong Ching Ling. Chiang was Old Sun's confidant and they often stayed together. Soong Ching Ling knew Chiang's private life very well and firmly opposed her sister marrying such a man.

Although Soong Ching Ling opposed it, Old Sun still helped Chiang Kai-shek to find a matchmaker. However, except for Soong Ailing, the Soong family's mother Ni Guizhen, second sister Soong Ching Ling, and eldest brother Soong Tzu-wen all expressed their clear opposition.

Regardless of whether he is a good person or not, the Song family is a devout Christian family and would never let their daughter marry a man with multiple wives and concubines.

The Song family disagreed, but Chiang Kai-shek did not give up. He wrote love letters one after another and sent photos of himself in military uniform looking quite heroic. At the same time, he optimized his own conditions for marriage - divorced his original wife Mao Fumei; sent his beloved concubine Chen Jieru to study in Europe; Yao Yecheng had no status, so he just refused to acknowledge her; and his confidante was just for fun!
In addition, he would also use various connections to speak well of him to the Song family.

From 1922 to 1927, for a full five years, Chiang Kai-shek used his actions to show the world his love for Soong May-ling. Such persistence was certainly love, but it cannot be said that Chiang Kai-shek had no calculations.

According to the domestic political situation at the time, Chiang Kai-shek could use the power of the Sun, Soong and Kong families to consolidate his position by marrying Soong May-ling.

Thinking from the perspective of Miss Song, Chiang Kai-shek liked her younger sister and wanted to leverage the power of the three families. As for the Song family, the second sister's husband was deceased, and her younger brother Song Ziwen and her husband Kong Xiangxi were both good at financial management, not political intrigue. In troubled times, having money without power is not enough to protect oneself. If Chiang Kai-shek could marry the third sister, with his ability, he might be able to open up a new situation for the Song family.

So, Soong Ailing took the initiative to meet with Chiang Kai-shek, and the two had a very pleasant conversation. Then, she started to persuade her family.

In order to deal with T.V. Soong, Soong Ailing turned to the veteran Tan Yankai.

For Song Ziwen, Tan Yankai was not only a confidant, but also a mentor. When Song Ziwen first entered the political arena of Guangdong, he was excluded by the elders because of his youth and vigor. He felt depressed because his talent was not appreciated. Only Tan Yankai had a unique vision and supported him in many ways. Song Ziwen's situation in Guangdong began to improve from then on.

Song was grateful to Tan for his kindness, while Tan admired Song's talent. He once wrote in his diary: "I had not finished the electrotherapy at five o'clock. Ziwen came to see me. After it was finished, he and I had a long conversation in the guest room. He is a talented person, but few people know him.

Song Ziwen came to talk for a long time and very closely. He is also a capable person, superior to Prince Sun. "

Therefore, whatever Song asked for, Tan would approve it; whatever Tan said, Song would listen to it. Not only that, there was also a small episode in the early years.

When Soong May-ling just returned to China after completing her studies, Old Sun intended to introduce her to Tan Yankai, who had just lost his wife, because Tan was not only his loyal follower, but also had outstanding personal abilities. However, Tan Yankai was deeply in love with his deceased wife and had no intention of remarrying, so he rejected the good intention.

In order to avoid awkward relations between the two families, Tan Yankai made a special trip to visit the Song family and acknowledged Song Meiling as his godsister in front of Ni Guizhen. This approach was well received by Song's mother, who thought he was a proper person. Therefore, although the two families did not become relatives, they often had contacts and had a very good relationship.

Tan Yankai did not admire Chiang Kai-shek as much as he admired Song Ziwen, but he also regarded them as a kindred spirit. Regarding Chiang Kai-shek's marriage, Song's eldest sister asked him to help, and her godsister Mei-ling was also pleased with it. With three people facing one person, Tan Yankai thought for a moment and decided to act as a peacemaker.

After repeated persuasion, Song Ziwen finally nodded in agreement, and later visited Ni Guizhen with Chiang Kai-shek during Chiang's trip to Japan.

On the eve of his departure for Japan, Chiang Kai-shek handed over a written notice to Shenbao for publication for three consecutive days. The content of the notice was: In the tenth year of the Republic of China, my first wife, Mao, officially divorced Chiang Kai-shek. The other two wives, who had no engagement, have now severed their relationship with Chiang Kai-shek. Now, apart from two sons, I have no wife or daughter. However, the rumors are untrue and may cause confusion, so I hereby reply to your request.

Chiang Kai-shek made all the calculations and with the help of his common interest partner Soong Ailing, he finally got the beauty and obtained Soong May-ling's high added value. Conversely, the Soong and Kong families also gained huge benefits.

Since Soong Ailing made great contributions to the marriage between Chiang and Soong, and Kong Xiangxi always stood firmly on Chiang's side, he had a successful career in the National Government and was promoted step by step. Starting from 1928, Kong Xiangxi successively served as the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Minister of Industry, and President of the Central Bank of the National Government. In 1933, he succeeded Soong Tzu-wen as Minister of Finance and Vice Premier of the Executive Yuan.

All these were the results that Soong Ailing fought for. Moreover, Soong Ching Ling had to go to Moscow to avoid the limelight for some reason. Not long after she arrived, rumors spread that she and Chen Youren would get married, and the Soong family would have another marriage. It was said that Soong Ailing spread the dirty water in order to prevent the rebellious daughter of the Soong family from ruining the century-old plan of the Soong and Kong families.

It is said that Kong Xiangxi and Song Ailing have been doing things in a frivolous way since they took control of the financial power... [Hundreds of words are omitted here, you are seeing the abridged version of the fifth edition.]
In the "US dollar bond fraud case" in 1943, Kong Xiangxi embezzled more than 1150 million US dollars, which can be regarded as the largest corruption case of the Kuomintang government during the Anti-Japanese War. There is no wall that is impenetrable in the world. With such a big move, several insiders secretly reported Kong Xiangxi and others' fraud to the Kuomintang government. When the news came out, public opinion was in an uproar.

In 1944, the third session of the third National Political Consultative Conference opened in Shancheng. Councillor Fu Sinian took the lead in criticizing Kong Xiangxi and demanded a thorough investigation of his corruption. It was not until then that Chiang Kai-shek had to consider replacing Kong Xiangxi.

However, such a huge corruption case was only dealt with lightly by Kong Xiangxi. Neither the stolen money was recovered nor was any punishment imposed. In 1945, Kong Xiangxi resigned from his positions as vice premier of the Executive Yuan, president of the Central Bank, and chairman of the Farmers Bank. Later, he asked Chiang Kai-shek for leave to go to the United States on the grounds that his wife Soong Ailing had a sudden illness in the United States.

Due to the failure of the Chiang regime on the mainland, Truman was disgusted by the behavior of Kong Xiangxi, Song Ziwen and others in embezzling American aid. He ordered the FBI to investigate the assets of the Kong and Song families in the United States.

However, since Kong Xiangxi was impeached, Soong Ailing has secretly transferred her huge fortune to various parts of the world. She bought a large number of local company stocks in Brazil, and then went to Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, Chile and other places to deposit her fortune in banks in these countries. In addition, she also bought a large amount of movable and immovable properties in the United States.

Living away from the center of power in New York, Kong Xiangxi and his wife were wealthy. They managed to survive the FBI investigation crisis with proper response and the outbreak of the Korean War, which led to a resurgence in the importance of the Chiang dynasty to the United States.

After the crisis, life had to go on. Kong Xiangxi and Song Ailing were already old and had huge wealth. They could have enjoyed their old age in leisure. However, as parents, the debt of their children is a lifetime responsibility. They had two pairs of children, which was not very worry-free. According to Song Ailing, dead money can be easily eaten up. While she was still able to move, she should save more family property for her children.

A few hours ago, it was early evening in New York.

In Long Island, Gu Weijun's villa is brightly lit, and there is another party tonight.

In the history of diplomacy of the Republic of China, Gu Weijun accounts for half, and the Huang family pays half of the diplomatic expenses.

The Republic of China had always been a country of poverty in diplomacy, with a limited expenditure budget, and ambassadors had to live frugally. Not to mention that a pair of socks might be new for three years, old for three years, and patched for another three years. At the very least, they were not expected to live lavishly. But among the ambassadors, Gu Weijun was an exception, as he lived a relatively lavish life.

The reason why he was so generous was that Gu Weijun's third wife's surname was Huang, and her name was Huilan, the daughter of Huang Zhonghan. Since she married him in her second marriage, she had been subsidizing his diplomatic expenses. It can be said that Gu Weijun's work was inseparable from Huang Huilan's financial support.

While Gu Weijun enjoyed the benefits of his wife's financial support, he also hated his wife's wealth. Every time he used a penny of her money, his fragile self-esteem was further frustrated.

As the saying goes, a woman with confidence can speak without restraint. Huang Huilan was raised by servants who were like slaves. She might even have a special team of people to clean up after her bowel movements.

She has received a completely Westernized education, does not care about being gentle, respectful, frugal and modest, and has the image of a heroine. She is not like a little bird and does not obey men's words. This kind of woman is not liked by men with Phoenix-type personality.

Perhaps in order to fight poison with poison and survive from the risk of death, Gu Weijun simply spent Huang Huilan's money to play with his subordinate's wife. When the subordinate came to him with three children, he bought a villa in Long Island, New York, and rushed from Washington to New York whenever he had time.

The villa is Yang Leimeng’s home, and the hostess is her mother Yan Youyun.

The party tonight was not large. Those who came were old friends, neighbors, and acquaintances who had come often before. Among the familiar people, there was only one person who looked unfamiliar, and this person was accompanied by Yang Leimeng.

Song Ailing is the neighbor of the villa and lives not far away. The weather is nice today, so she came to join in the fun.

She sat on the sofa, holding a cigarette elegantly in her hand, and brought it to her lips elegantly. She took a deep puff in a very ungraceful manner, and after a long while, thick white smoke came out of her mouth.

Just by looking at her posture, anyone with a discerning eye can tell that she is a heavy smoker.

Half a cigarette went into her lungs. She tilted her head and looked at Yan Youyun who was sitting next to her. "Youyun, who is the lady next to Lei Meng? I've never seen her before."

Hearing this, Yan Youyun subconsciously turned to look at her eldest daughter, then frowned and said in a slightly dissatisfied tone: "The wife of the owner of the magazine where Lei Meng works."

In Yan Youyun's eyes, Playboy was not a serious magazine, and the Flower Society was naturally not a serious magazine society either. She had some complaints about her daughter's internship at the Flower Society.

“Playboy?”

"Yes, I wanted her to resign, but she wouldn't listen."

"Youyun, I've read Playboy. It's nothing in America."

For Song Ailing, who once accidentally found out that her daughter liked women, Yang Leimeng's work in a flower company was really no big deal. While she was replying, her eyes lingered on the stranger, then extended to Cai Zhiyong.

She has been paying much attention to this young man who has just risen to prominence recently because she plans to make some moves in the US financial market, but finds that the market here is not as interesting as that in Shanghai.

She is a super tycoon in the Shanghai market. Everything is under her control. She regards all the speculators in the world as leeks and can do whatever she wants with them. When she harvests, she may cut out an S, then a B, and if she is in the mood, she may even cut out a line of Chinese characters - Don't be too greedy.

Here, she found that she was nothing. She understood the principles of finance, but the market was a little confusing. However, it didn't matter if she didn't understand. She could ask for advice from people who understood, or ask people who understood to help her do things.

Cai Zhiyong, who had made a big splash in the financial market, caught her eye. When the time was right, she planned to have a chat with this young talent.

Following her line of sight, to the end, Tseng Pei-pei was standing there, without any makeup, nor a bun, just a ponytail, wearing a white silk shirt, a black professional skirt, and a pair of Goodluck Zhou Zhilan high-end black leather shoes on her feet. No expense was spared, the outfit was beautiful and comfortable.

"Mrs. Xian, will Mr. Xian come to the United States soon?" Cai Zhiyong asked politely while standing by with a glass of wine.

"Yao Wen will come over in a while. This time he will stay in New York for a few days." Tseng Peipei raised her glass and said, "I have several weeks' salary left and I want to buy some stocks. Can Mr. Cai give me some advice?"

Since appearing at the party, Cen Peipei has not done anything to attract attention, but many eyes are staring at her. Next to Zhang Leyi, there is a girl who looks like Zhang Leyi, and her eyes are on her from time to time.

Since coming to the United States, Pei-pei Tseng has come into contact with entrepreneurs of all sizes of businesses, mafia leaders of varying sizes, the more realistic side of famous movie stars and singers, and the best among workers.

No matter who she faces, she can handle it with ease. During her time in the United States, an invisible substance has been accumulating in her, which is self-confidence and temperament.

She is in a period of crazy and blind sedimentation, unable to organize and control things in an orderly manner, and her edge is exposed.

Not high-profile, but still dazzling.

In the eyes of girls who are about to enter adulthood, she is all blingbling and golden, and can easily become a template for "I want to be like her in the future."

“How much money?”

Cai Zhiyong naturally thought that Tseng Peipei was being modest. How much could a few weeks' salary be? There was no need to spend money on favors. This was just a way of opening. (End of this chapter)