Film and Television World Life Record

Because of his gambling addiction, his wife and children have been mortgaged and their fate is unknown. He is still heavily in debt due to gambling and is being harassed by creditors every day.

It was at this time that a stranger approached him, saying he could help him pay off his gambling debts and even redeem his wife and children, all he had to do was help with one thing.

Having already reached a dead end, Chen Er grasped at this opportunity like a lifeline, so how could he refuse? In addition, he had been beaten up by Su's manager and harbored resentment. Thus, he came all the way to Jiangning, waiting for an opportunity.

As for who approached Chen Er, and who was stirring up trouble behind the scenes against the Su family, Chen Er couldn't explain. The person who approached him was said to be a figure from the underworld. The real mastermind had never shown up, and Chen Er was just a pawn pushed to the front.

Upon learning the truth, Su Tan'er couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the Su family had not committed such an evil deed.

"But...who is so vicious as to not only assassinate Father, but also ruin the reputation of the Su family?"

Li Mu said, "The business world is like a battlefield. Don't assume everyone is kind; some people have no bottom line."

Su Tan'er was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up and said seriously, "Husband, let's go through the method you mentioned a few more times. Since they have gone to such lengths, Tan'er will naturally not show any mercy anymore."

Li Mu said, "It's good that you've figured it out. We can use this assassination attempt as an excuse. As for your father-in-law, it's best to pretend that you're too frightened and stay home to recuperate for a while. This will leave the eldest branch of the family leaderless and in a state of chaos, which will lower their guard. Tan'er, you should personally tell him this."

Su Tan'er nodded: "Okay, I will talk to Father."

Chapter 608 Layout

The next day, Su Boyong indeed collapsed.

Having been assassinated and having his family smeared, Su Boyong, filled with resentment and nowhere to vent his anger, naturally strongly supported the plan to lure out the mastermind behind the attack.

To make the performance convincing, he actually lay in bed pretending to be sick, not even telling his two concubines the truth.

After all, some members of the Su family must have already been bribed—the maids, servants, even the stewards and managers. One cannot expect everyone to be loyal and to resist the temptation of money.

Therefore, he had to act convincingly and let everyone know that he was really sick and didn't have the energy to manage the affairs of the main house.

On the other hand, the rumors circulating in the city that the Su family had disregarded human life and driven families to ruin must also be quelled as soon as possible.

Chen Er has already confessed that the Su family was indeed framed, so there's no need to waste time investigating the truth in Ezhou. Otherwise, by the time the truth is revealed, the rumors might have become reality, and by then it would be too late to clarify.

Therefore, Old Master Su personally took Chen Er and his confession to the government office. After some bribery, the government office refused to give him face and stepped forward to clarify the truth.

However, as the saying goes, it takes only a mouth to spread rumors, but it takes a lot of legwork to refute them.

The rumors have already spread and their influence has been established. Despite the government's clarification, this impression cannot be erased in a short time.

The Su family was somewhat shrouded in a shadow.

……

Since Su Boyong was bedridden and unable to manage affairs, the power of the eldest son's family naturally fell into Su Tan'er's hands. However, although Su Tan'er had previously managed some of the eldest son's family's businesses, Su Boyong was actually behind the scenes.

Now, suddenly taking over all the assets of the main branch of the family, as well as the core power of the Su family, she is, after all, a young girl who is not even twenty years old. For a while, she was indeed a bit flustered and unable to take care of everything.

However, this is exactly what the plan needs, to let people know that Su Tan'er is having difficulty controlling the main branch of the family and is preoccupied with one thing while neglecting another, so that the people behind the scenes can jump in with peace of mind.

Therefore, in the following days, although Su Tan'er managed to stabilize the main branch of the family, she still appeared overwhelmed and unable to keep up.

At this time, rumors began to circulate that the Su family's current predicament was due to Su Tan'er's insistence on competing for the position of Imperial Merchant in order to take control of the Su family.

The Su family had been in chaos lately. Su Boyong was assassinated, the Su family's reputation was tarnished, and they were even ridiculed by outsiders. They felt furious but had nowhere to vent their anger.

Suddenly, a message spread that all of this was caused by Su Tan'er's competition for the Imperial Merchant position. If she hadn't gotten involved in the Imperial Merchant business, no one would have targeted the Su family, and the current situation wouldn't have occurred.

How could I possibly hold back!

The next day, Li Mu accompanied Su Tan'er to visit Su Boyong to discuss plans. Just as they reached the door, they heard Su Tan'er's two aunts crying and talking inside.

The two cried as they complained about Su Tan'er, about her strong will, and about the matter concerning the imperial merchants.

"I've said it before... why do girls have to be so strong-willed..."

"I wonder if the second and third wives were involved in the assassination attempt. They know Tan'er is vying for the title of Imperial Merchant, which may have frightened them... If it really succeeds, they'll have gained nothing..."

"Perhaps it's not the second or third branch, but what's being said outside is that the current situation of the Su family is all due to Tan'er's desire to take control of the Su family and her insistence on competing for the imperial merchant position. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many problems."

……

Li Mu glanced at Su Tan'er, who looked somewhat forlorn beside him. In the past few days, many rumors targeting Su Tan'er had suddenly emerged in the Su family.

Moreover, these rumors spread very quickly, and within a few days the entire Su family and their shops were abuzz with discussion, inevitably making Su Tan'er feel down.

Li Mu patted her hand and laughed, "Tan'er, you won't be sad because of these rumors, will you? This proves that the mastermind has taken the bait... and even made a move. These rumors are released to deliberately mess with your mind and make you not have much energy to manage the affairs of the main branch."

Su Tan'er was silent for a moment, then smiled calmly: "My husband is right. The fact that the people behind this are spreading these rumors means they've taken the bait. However, the fact that these rumors have spread so quickly in our Su family suggests there might be a mole within the family."

Li Mu chuckled lightly and said, "Not only are there traitors, but there's more than one, and their positions aren't low."

Su Tan'er asked, "Husband, what should we do next?"

Li Mu said, "Then let's do as they want. Pretend that you can't stand the rumors and are in a state of panic. Next, make a big show of the Imperial Merchant, making it seem like you're going all in to take down the Imperial Merchant to stabilize the Su family. We also need to show off the cloth appropriately, especially within the Su family, so that everyone knows that with this bright yellow cloth, taking down the Imperial Merchant is a sure thing."

"It makes the person behind it unable to resist the temptation, and also afraid that the Su family will take over the imperial merchant, so they have no choice but to take action."

Su Tan'er nodded: "Yes, I'll listen to my husband."

In the following days, Su Tan'er changed her usual low profile and convened a meeting of all the managers and stewards under the eldest son's command. The matter of the Imperial Merchant was finally brought into the open. For the first time in front of everyone, Su Tan'er expressed her determination to do her best to operate the Imperial Merchant.

"Some things were originally meant to be kept secret, but given the current situation, they can no longer be kept secret. Everyone knows that the eldest branch is competing for the position of royal merchant, and they all think that their chances are slim and they're just wasting their time. So today, I'll reveal something to you: we have the most suitable fabric for the royal family."

As he spoke, he gave Juan'er a wink, and the little maid standing to the side quickly turned around and moved a box to the table.

Su Tan'er glanced at everyone and said, "Please keep what you see next a secret and don't tell anyone. You're all veterans of the shop, so you should know more about these things than I do."

As he spoke, he slowly opened the long, rectangular box, and a piece of bright yellow silk appeared before everyone's eyes. Everyone's eyes lit up; such a vibrant and beautiful bright yellow was something they had never seen before.

Su Tan'er cut off a few small pieces from the top and showed them to everyone.

"It took three years and countless sums of money to research and develop the dye for this cloth."

"Fire-resistant...water-resistant...sun-resistant...colorfast...we only finished the product a little over a month ago. We wanted to keep a low profile, but everyone seemed unenthusiastic, thinking it was wishful thinking to compete with the Imperial Merchant. So we had no choice but to release it ahead of schedule."

"This color is unusable by ordinary people, but the royal family likes it very much. Using it to compete for the title of Imperial Merchant is a sure thing, if not a sure thing."

Upon seeing the new cloth, the shopkeepers and managers began to discuss it animatedly. However, they did gain confidence; with such bright yellow cloth, they certainly had a better chance of competing with the imperial merchants.

In the following days, some of the managers of the main branch frequently visited officials of the Textile Bureau, displaying an attitude of being determined to win the imperial merchant award.

The complaints within the Su family about Su Tan'er's competition for the Imperial Merchant title suddenly fell silent after she demonstrated her cloth. Only the second and third branches of the family were somewhat unwilling to accept that Su Tan'er would take control of the Su family once she won the Imperial Merchant title, but they only dared to complain in private.

The managers under the main branch were indeed professional. With their involvement in creating momentum, the news that the Su family had been preparing for the imperial merchant for several years and had developed a new type of cloth spread like wildfire in the weaving industry in Jiangning in a short period of time.

Coupled with the recent assassination attempt on Su Boyong and the various rumors surrounding the Su family, most people in the various cloth shops now know that the Su family, or at least Su Tan'er, is prepared to fully display its strength in the matter of becoming a royal merchant, taking a desperate gamble.

If she wins, with years of preparation, she perfectly resolves the matter of the imperial merchant, securing her position as the head of the Su family's main branch without any doubt, and even formally establishing herself as the next head of the family as a woman. If she loses, she will still be wealthy and noble for life, no matter what.

Time passed gradually, the disaster situation eased, many of the disaster victims outside the city returned to their hometowns, and the closed gates of Jiangning were reopened.

The entire city of Jiangning seemed to have regained its vitality, and the oppressive atmosphere was swept away.

Finally, in late August, the Jiangning Textile Industry Conference, which was also a competition to determine who would become the imperial merchant, was held at the Green Ripple Pavilion on the Qinhuai River.

Li Mu, Su Tan'er, Su Zhongkan, Su Yunfang, along with several members from the first, second, and third branches of the family, and the main stewards, traveled together in seven or eight carriages.

At the same time, cloth merchants from Jiangning, including the Xue, Wu, Chen, and Lü families, as well as some officials from the Weaving Bureau, all rushed to Green Ripple Tower.

Today's conference is definitely a major event for the Jiangning textile industry.

The most important event tonight is the Imperial Merchant Competition, with the Wu family, Xue family, and Su family—the largest cloth merchants in Jiangning—being the focus of attention.

Some observant individuals even sensed the tension and eagerly awaited the start of the show.

Upon arriving at Green Ripples Pavilion, Li Mu smiled, exchanged a glance with Su Tan'er, and stepped off the carriage. It was indeed a beautiful day.

Upon entering the building, the group exchanged pleasantries and gradually took their seats.

The Green Ripple Building was spacious. The first floor was occupied by small businesses, while the second floor was allocated to large businesses. The Su family members sat at a large round table on the second floor, while the other major fabric shops were also assigned to round tables.

Thus, the Su family, the Xue family, and the Wu family were positioned at three distinct ends of the meeting place, clearly separated. Those around them whispered amongst themselves, observing the situation of the Su, Xue, and Wu families.

On the Su family's side, a manager went to pay his respects to the surrounding residents. Returning, he stroked his beard and said with a broad smile, "Judging from today's atmosphere, our Su family has no problem securing the Imperial Merchant. Our efforts over the past month have finally paid off..."

"Miss Tan'er was farsighted, having started preparations years ago. With that fabric, we are in an invincible position."

Li Mu smiled slightly: "So confident?"

The shopkeeper chuckled, “Our fabrics are the best, after all. I’ve already inquired; the Lü family also has a new fabric called Smoked Tea Silk, which is excellent, but unfortunately not quite suitable for royalty. The Xue family has a signature Purple Washed Cloth, always favored by wealthy families and priced quite high, but they probably haven’t released anything new lately. Although the Wu family is the top weaver with considerable strength, their greatest strength lies in their weaving skills. With Luo Shenzhen at the helm, their fabric weaving is always a cut above others, but compared to my Su family’s Golden Dawn Brocade, even if their weaving is slightly better, it’s probably not that significant…”

"Tonight, among the imperial merchants, the Su family still has the greatest advantage."

Li Mu nodded slightly and said nothing more.

At this moment, an official from the Imperial Textile Bureau came over, and Manager Liao hurriedly went to greet him. The two exchanged a few polite words, and Manager Liao returned to the table and whispered, "The Imperial Textile Bureau informed us that our Su family has the most impressive presence this time, and Lord Dong also thinks highly of us and has arranged for our Su family to make a grand finale appearance."

The shopkeepers' faces lit up with joy when they heard that it was the grand finale.

"They've actually made our Su family the last one; it seems we're destined to be imperial merchants."

"That's right. In previous years, the best fabrics were always the finale, and some of them are still being supplied to the royal family... This year, the fabrics from my Su family were the finale, and the result speaks for itself."

Seeing the joy on everyone's faces, Li Mu and Su Tan'er exchanged a glance and smiled slightly. They were certain that the person behind the scenes had made their move, or rather, taken the bait.

The conference then officially began. These kinds of things are always quite tedious. Lord Dong went up on stage first and gave a speech, but it was essentially the same thing over and over again. He said the same things every year. As for the true state of the textile industry in Jiangning, many people present today probably understand it much better than Lord Dong.

The speech ended quickly, and the main topic, the most important moment of the conference, began: the election of the Imperial Merchant.

The first to take the stage is Qi Jia.

"Today, I would like to invite everyone to appreciate the snow-patterned yarn recently woven by my Qi family. This yarn is light, thin, soft, and almost transparent. Its natural patterns are as white as snowflakes. It is meticulously woven by us using a special loom to control the number of silk threads..."

After speaking for a while, the manager of the Qi family took out a piece of gauze and spread it out in the center of the room.