money player

night.

Sin Yiu-man spent the night at Tong Yee-ying's place.

Tang Yiying sat on Xian Yaowen's lap, climbed down contentedly, and took a cigarette from the bedside table and lit it.

After taking a few puffs, he suddenly said, "My younger brother and sister are both in Taipei."

"I've heard of Tang Shunjun, the 'Flower of the National University'," Sin Yiu-man said jokingly. "You two must be from the same parents, right?"

“I am her.”

"I also heard she's remaining faithful to her husband. Isn't that strange? They're born of the same parents, yet the difference is so vast. You're so provocative, and she... ugh~"

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll cut up your harmful things."

"Your strong reaction means I've hit a nerve, you old slut..."

"You still said."

"Alright, alright, I won't say it then. Tell me, why did you suddenly bring up your younger brother and sister?"

“I thought that Jingshuzhai should not only deal in antiques, but also in calligraphy and paintings by famous people, so I went to visit Pu Xinyu and met Junwu at his residence.”

"Has something unusual happened?"

“I have nothing to do with Junwu. I’ve never been particularly close to him, but the situation in Pu Xinshe’s family is a bit strange.”

"What kind of monster?"

“Pu Xinyu had a second wife named Li Moyun, who was a street urchin who made a living by collecting coal nuggets in her early years. Back then, Pu Xinyu’s wife, Madam Xiang, had a maid named Xing’er, who was skilled in Peking Opera. Before entering the mansion, she used to lead her blind father through the streets and alleys, singing and begging, which aroused Madam Xiang’s pity, so she entered the mansion.”

Pu Xinyu and his younger brother Pu Shuming both liked Xing'er and competed to pursue her. In the end, Pu Shuming, who was skilled in opera, won. Madam Xiang gave Xing'er to Pu Shuming. However, not long after, Pu Shuming had a new lover, and Xing'er was forced to leave the mansion and rent a place to live.

It is said that Pu Xinyu still harbors feelings for Xing'er and frequently visits her, providing her with financial assistance.

Sin Yiu-man asked, "Which year's almanac are you referring to?"

“In the early 1930s, around 1931 or 1932.”

"Oh."

"Madam Xiang felt sorry for Pu Xinyu, so she thought about finding another maid. In this search, she found Li Moyun, who was completely unrelated to her. At that time, she was called Shuzhen or Shuzhen. The name Moyun was given to her by Pu Xinyu."

No one knows what Li Moyun's abilities were, but it didn't take long for her to win Pu Xinyu's favor, who had her firmly under his control, and it seems that she was taken as his second wife in 36.

Pu Xinyu's legal wife, Luo Qingyuan, seemed to have been in poor health since the early 1940s. Li Moyun took over all the household affairs, and from then on, Pu Xinyu's life took a turn for the worse. Li Moyun opened her doors to commissions, forcing Pu Xinyu to paint non-stop all day long.

Tang Yiying laughed out loud, "Li Moyun is quite shrewd. She took away Pu Xinyu's seal, so Pu Xinyu can't paint for anyone without her permission. If Pu Xinyu gives a painting to a student or friend and wants her to stamp it, he has to charge her a fee."

Xian Yaowen chuckled and said, "Isn't Li Moyun offending everyone by doing this?"

"Li Moyun probably knows how to treat people differently and doesn't offend everyone. Pu Xinyu has a good reputation outside."

"Oh." Sin Yiu-man nodded. "You may continue."

"In 47, Li Moyun outlived Luo Qingyuan and completely took control of Pu Xinyu. Once, the two went to Hangzhou for sightseeing and stayed at the Changqiao Guesthouse. The guesthouse staff member Zhang Zongyao was in charge of the reception."

This Zhang Zongyao was probably very good at flattering people. When Pu Xinyu left Hangzhou, he took Zhang Zongyao and his entire family of five with him, and Zhang Zongyao became his agent and housekeeper.

Sin Yiu-man interrupted, "The story is pretty ordinary up to this point, so there must be something extraordinary about it for you to bring it up. Let me guess."

Tang Yiying said with a grin, "Guess."

Xian Yaowen patted Tang Yiying on the back. "Li Moyun controls Pu Xinyu's seal, and needless to say, she also controls Pu Xinyu's finances. Zhang Zongyao's emergence as his agent means that he wants to take a piece of the profits from Li Moyun."

Li Moyun's transformation from a poor girl to the matriarch of the Pu family suggests she's no ordinary person. Unless Pu Xinyu has homosexual tendencies and loves Zhang Zongyao more than Li Moyun, Zhang Zongyao will have to get past Li Moyun if he wants to secure his position with Pu Xinyu.

He chuckled, "You probably got through this in bed most of the time, right?"

Tang Yiying smiled and said, "You guessed right. The two of them refer to themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Huang in public without any hesitation."

"So, Pu Xinyu wasn't kept in the dark?"

"It's impossible not to know."

"Does Luo Qingyuan have children?"

"Having both sons and daughters."

"Could it be that Li Moyun has something on Pu Xinyu, that he's willing to play the turtle?"

"What leverage could there be?"

"For example, Luo Qingyuan's death was not so simple."

"Are you saying that Luo Qingyuan was killed by Pu Xinyu, and he was afraid his children would find out the truth?"

Sin Yiu-man waved his hand, "How would I know? I'm just reasoning from a self-interest perspective. But everyone is different, and not every man would mind being a cuckold. Pu Xin-she might not mind, and might even enjoy it."

Tang Yiying spat, "Do you think every man is like Zaifeng's family?"

Upon hearing this, Xian Yaowen was immediately intrigued. "What, is there some inside story about your affair with Zhang the Bandit?"

Tang Yiying took two puffs of her cigarette and said quietly, "I'm not a good woman, but I have a sense of shame. I met Zhang Xueliang at a dance party at the Beiping Hotel, and Pujie was also there."

Zhang Xueliang later paid a visit, but Pujie was home. Instead, I was asked to receive him. When Zhang Xueliang made inappropriate advances, Pujie was in the next room.

Upon hearing this, Xian Yaowen understood the underlying meaning. He grasped Tang Yiying's soft hand and asked, "Pujie has no love for you?"

Tang Yiying shook her head.

"Even without love, she is still the wife. Zaifeng's family is obsessed with the throne. They also underestimated Zhang Xiaohu. A spendthrift will only squander his own family fortune. He would never use his family's wealth to benefit someone else."

Tang Yiying said with amusement, "Zhang Liuzi is even more cunning than a monkey when he gets his hands on something. He wouldn't let anyone else take advantage of him. In fact, I miscalculated, and Zaifeng's family also miscalculated. They didn't get anything and were even insulted by him."

Later, Pujie went to Japan, where the Japanese arranged for him to marry Saga Hiro. He initially resisted, using me as a shield. However, the Japanese went to Beiping and found Junwu, demanding that he cancel the engagement on my behalf, threatening to throw grenades at our house if he didn't. Junwu dared not disobey.

"So, you were forced into a divorce?"

"Ah."

"So, you colluded with Lu Xiaojia to empty the treasures of Prince Chun's mansion, partly out of a desire for revenge?"

Tang Yiying was slightly taken aback, took a drag of her cigarette, and said, "It's hard to say who's colluding with whom. I had my own ideas, and Lu Xiaojia had his too. I can only say that we were thinking the same thing. Besides, we didn't even move everything out. We were only halfway through when Harada Ryojiro, a Japanese man, warned me that the Prince Chun's Mansion had already been mortgaged to the Japanese Bank, so I stopped."

However, I didn't let that old codger Zaifeng get away with it either. He reported me to the police in Tianjin, issued a missing person report worth over four million yuan, and also cursed me in the newspaper. I also had someone publish an article in the newspaper..."

Tang Yiying chuckled and said, "The title was 'Tearful Admonition to Zaifeng Against Restoration,' and the subtitle was 'Rather be a lonely soul of China than a relative of a false emperor.' Under pressure from public opinion, Zaifeng didn't dare to ask me to return the things later."

"Are the things you took really worth 400 million?"

“How could that be?” Tang Yiying shook her head. “If I really had four million, I wouldn’t have been in such a sorry state later.”

"Oh, you and Lu Xiaojia went to Shanghai later?"

"There were interests involved, and we hung out together for two or three years. After that, he did his thing and I did mine. I think it was around 42 when he got together with Yuan Huixie. I never thought they would stay together until now."

"What is Yuan Huixie's background?"

Tang Yiying asked in surprise, "You didn't know?"

Why do I absolutely need to know?

"I thought you had thoroughly investigated my background."

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and said, "Why would I investigate you? I'd rather call up the seniors, have a good drink, and exchange tips on touching your ass."

Tang Yiying punched Xian Yaowen, "How can you treat people like this?"

"Okay, okay, I was wrong. Tell me about Yuan Huixie."

"I don't know much about her. She is Yuan Chang's granddaughter, was once the Miss Qingdao, married Liu Jizan, a Chinese American, and has a daughter... She should be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old this year. She was a very active socialite in Shanghai back then."

"Then how did you end up with Lu Xiaojia again?"

"It seems to be 42. Yuan Huixie caught Liu Jizan cheating on her husband. The incident caused a huge uproar, and the two divorced that year. Not long after, she and Lu Xiaojia moved to an apartment on Yuyuan Road... I forgot what apartment it was."

"Xiyuan Apartment".

“Yes, to be neighbors with Fei Baoshu.” Tang Yiying suddenly showed a mocking expression. “Yuan Huixie is no good either. She and Lu Xiaojia must have been having an affair a long time ago, and she even had the nerve to catch them in the act.”

"Don't talk nonsense if you don't know the facts. Has Lu Xiaojia contacted you recently?"

"He came to the store to talk to me again, repeating the same old story, but I still didn't agree."

“I asked Baoshu to inquire indirectly, and I also asked Shuying. Yuan Huixie didn’t give a direct answer, but it seems there’s been a problem. I definitely want to help, but I can’t just rush in to help. I haven’t figured out how to help yet. Lu Xiaojia will come to you again. You can mention me to him.”

"Should I send him to find you?"

"Ah."

"it is good."

"Back to Pu Xinyu, what are your thoughts?"

"I want to oust Zhang Zongyao and become Pu Xinyu's agent."

What role does your brother play in Pu Xinyu's story?

"Junwu and Puxinyu were old friends and were very close."

"Is Pu Xinyu over fifty years old this year?"

"Fifty-five years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning)."

"Where's your brother?"

"thirty-seven."

"With such a large age gap, they're not even from the same generation, how could they possibly be friends?"

"Junwu has always been very active in politics. He was originally the vice president of the Beiping Manchu Association. He had good relations with Manchu nobles. Now he is going to establish the Taiwan Manchu Association and it seems that he wants to nominate Pu Xinyu as the president."

Sin Yiu-man nodded. "I know about the glamorous side, but what about the less glamorous side? Is there any story behind it?"

"What's dishonorable?"

“Zhang Zongyao started out as a guesthouse employee. Even if he is the director or manager, he is still a nobody. He is nothing in Taipei. The only thing he can rely on is Pu Xinyu’s status. But he and Li Moyun are taking advantage of Pu Xinyu. Even if they can control Pu Xinyu right now, they must be feeling uneasy.”

Li Moyun, coming from a humble background, couldn't possibly be someone who doesn't scheme and plot to reach her current status. She's not that old, is she?

"Thirty-two or three."

"Thirty-two or thirty-three, fifty-five, more than twenty years apart. If nothing unexpected happens, she will definitely be behind Pu Xinyu. She has no strength to kill a chicken and no special skills. Shouldn't she make some plans?"

A slight unease flickered in Tang Yiying's eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

Instead of answering, Sin Yiu-man asked, "What does Li Moyun look like?"

"She is quite attractive."

"She's quite attractive, and she's a friend's wife. If she takes the initiative, it would be hard for him to resist."

Tang Yiying did not immediately refute, but seemed thoughtful. After finishing her cigarette, she put it out and said, "I don't know."

"Have you figured out how to oust Zhang Zongyao?"

"Zhang Zongyao was an underground member of the Communist Party."

Sin Yiu-man gasped. “How much benefit could Pu Sin-she possibly bring you? He’s willing to take lives with a single move. And you’re such a nice person.”

Tang Yiying snuggled into Xian Yaowen's arms and said coquettishly, "That's just what I said."

"Have you been seeing that Yueqin a lot lately?"

"How is your brain structured? I only said one sentence and you immediately thought that I was close to Yueqin."

"Whether Zhang Zongyao is a member of the underground party or not is not up to you to decide. If you want to accomplish this, you must go through Zheng Haoquan. Do you think it's strange that I would think you and Yueqin are close?"

Now that you mention it, it seems like there's no need to make a fuss.

"You're not surprised, but I am. I don't know how you came up with the idea of ​​framing Zhang Zongyao, a member of the underground party, which would take a person's life and involve politics. Didn't you ever calculate how much this favor was worth?"

Tang Yiying hesitated for a moment, "It shouldn't be difficult for Zheng Haoquan to handle this, right?"

"How difficult could it be? It's just a matter of forging a few pieces of evidence. Besides, the government encourages whistleblowing. There have been plenty of wrongful convictions in the past two years, so one more won't make a difference. But why should Zheng Haoquan help you?"

"Give him a benefit."

Even if he helps you, won't this become a weapon against you?

"He was involved too, so how could that become a handle against him?"

"How can you prove he was involved? By taking photos or recording audio?"

"I didn't have any conflict with Zheng Haoquan, he..." Tang Yiying's words came to an abrupt end.

"When dealing with people like Zheng Haoquan, talk less about transactions, about paying him for something, and more about shared interests. Integrate your resources with him to work together on a project, and share the benefits once it's accomplished."

Sin Yiu-man patted Tang Yi-ying on the back lightly, saying, "You have to be right about your motives and starting points so that the relationship can last."

Tang Yiying thought for a moment and said, "A business partner?"

"Ah."

"Then tell me, how should I oust Zhang Zongyao?"

"Let's try to find a solution with Li Moyun. Does she play cards?"

"I feel like fighting."

"Don't just think about it, go and find out."

What if we fight?

"Invite her to my place to play cards. After a few rounds, your problem might be easier to solve."

Do you think she would actively pursue you?

"That depends on whether her brain is similar to yours."

"How annoying." (End of Chapter)