Film and Television World Life Record

In addition, Li Mu also built a small, rudimentary blast furnace in the valley. Although many of the tools and methods were primitive due to the limitations of the era, it was already extremely advanced for this time and with such a level of technology.

With such novel products, Zhu Ji's development has accelerated, and many talents have realized Zhu Ji's potential, making it easier to poach talent.

Li Mu didn't interfere too much, letting Zhu Ji develop slowly.

As for the Su family, after Su Tan'er failed in her bid for the Imperial Merchant title, things became increasingly chaotic. They even pointed the finger at him, saying that if it weren't for his support, Su Tan'er wouldn't have been so aggressive in her bid for the Imperial Merchant title, leading to the Su family's current predicament.

Similar incidents are likely to happen frequently in the future. In order to prevent Su Tan'er from taking over the Su family, he is clearly also within the scope of these people's attacks.

Moreover, given this rare opportunity, even Old Master Su hesitated to speak up for Su Tan'er. The second and third branches of the family, along with many other clansmen, were planning to hold a clan meeting to discuss the problems that had arisen in the family recently.

At the same time, the question of whether Su Tan'er, as a woman, is suitable to take charge of the Su family will be re-discussed.

Li Mu and Su Tan'er simply watched quietly, observing the chaos and the opportunistic attacks, considering it a preliminary screening process.

If Su Tan'er wants to take control of the Su family, the sooner these people step forward, the better, so that they won't follow the second and third branches of the family in making underhanded moves at the slightest sign of trouble.

At dawn, Su Tan'er demonstrated the Jade Maiden Heart Sword technique once, and Li Mu nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, you've mastered the basics of this sword technique."

Su Tan'er twirled her sword and smiled gently, "It's all thanks to my husband's excellent teaching."

After a brief chat, Li Mu asked, "How are your arrangements going? The Wu family has probably realized something is wrong by now."

Su Tan'er said, "Father supported me with a group of people, all of whom he trained. I'm also selecting people here. There are all sorts of rumors going around, and it will take a few more days to gather enough reliable people. A large number of new weaving workshops have also been built, and they will be put into use soon."

Li Mu nodded and said, "No rush. This time, we'll at least take over a third of the Wu family's business. Let's do the preparations thoroughly, hold out against the Wu family for a few more days, and then confront them directly!"

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

Li Mu continued, "Have the second and third branches of the family been making a fuss lately, trying to set a date for that clan meeting?"

Su Tan'er sighed and said helplessly, "It's settled. They said the clan meeting will be held in seven days. Most people in the clan support it. It seems we acted too convincingly, and they couldn't help but stand up."

Li Mu said, "In my opinion, it's better to separate the family. Even if you reveal the truth and cause this clan meeting to end without a result, it will only delay the conflict and not resolve it."

"In the future, as long as you take over the Su family, the second and third branches will always be dissatisfied, hold you back, and make all sorts of underhanded moves, which will not be worth the loss."

"Actually, if the eldest branch of the family swallows up one-third of the Wu family's assets this time, its scale will be no smaller than that of the Su family now. Apart from the old patriarch having some assets, the second and third branches of the family actually only have so many assets. Let them divide the family if they want, so as not to cause trouble behind the scenes every day. With their abilities, they will eventually be ruined. If we don't want them to suffer then, we can just spend money to support them. It's better than the current situation."

Su Tan'er nodded: "This is also a solution that will solve the problem once and for all. The combined assets of the second and third branches are only equal to those of our first branch. They are afraid that if I take over the Su family, I will interfere with their assets. In fact, even if I take over the Su family, I will focus on the assets of the first branch and coordinate the development of the entire Su family's industries. The assets of the second and third branches will still be directly managed by them."

"However, since they want to separate the family so much, it's fine to let them have their way. Let them try their skills. I'll go and discuss it with Father in a bit."

Li Mu nodded: "How did things go with Manager Liao?"

Su Tan'er said, "The reply has arrived eight days ago. Things have gone smoothly. The Wu family also has a cloth shop in Tokyo. I asked Manager Liao to visit there more often. He is our family's old manager and many people know him. If the Wu family is willing, they can't possibly overlook him."

Li Mu laughed and said, "That's good. In a while, the grand show will begin, and all of Jiangning will have to admire Tan'er's charm."

Chapter 611 The Chill Is Approaching

Several days passed in the blink of an eye. At night, the Wu family compound was brightly lit. Since becoming a royal merchant a month and a half ago, the Wu family has been filled with a joyful atmosphere, and this spirit can still be seen today.

However, the closer they got to the core, the more they realized something was wrong. The real power holders in the Wu family hadn't seemed happy at all these days; it was as if a storm was brewing.

Wu Chenghou was flipping through a book in his study when a servant came over to report, "Master, the eldest and second young masters have arrived home. The third, fifth, and sixth masters, Manager Luo, and Manager Nie have also arrived and are currently waiting for you in the side hall to discuss matters."

Wu Chenghou nodded: "Understood, you may leave."

He put down the book in his hand, sighed, and silently walked towards the side hall. As soon as he reached the corridor, he heard his eldest son's angry voice: "So you're saying there's no way at all? It's only been a few days, how do you know there's no way? Maybe there is!"

The fifth brother, Wu Chengke, said, "But... there really is no way. The formula wasn't developed by us. We've had it for almost two months now, and our family's master craftsmen have tried to improve it. It's just that the formula developed by the Su family is too sensitive; even the slightest change will cause a drastic change in color."

"I'm not saying there's absolutely no hope; it depends on luck. If we're lucky, maybe we can resolve it."

“Luck…” Wu Chenghou pushed open the door and walked in, his face somewhat gloomy. “The Su family spent three years researching this formula, and you still have no clue? Are you relying on luck?”

Wu Chengke was silent for a while before saying, "Brother, the truth is that we didn't come up with the formula. In just a few days, we haven't even figured out the problem, let alone improved it!"

Wu Chenghou said, "Are you sure everything is done according to the prescription? Our own procedures are fine."

Wu Chengke said, "Our procedures are absolutely correct, the problem cannot be on our side."

Wu Chenghou opened his mouth, then slumped into his seat, his tone grave. "So, we can be sure it wasn't us who had the problem, but the prescription. Perhaps... we were tricked by the Su family?"

The hall fell silent upon hearing this. No one wanted to believe it, and it was hard to believe such a conclusion. Just over a month ago, they thought they had used flawless means to snatch the imperial merchant status from the Su family. They were smug and full of pride at the time.

Now you're saying all of this was a setup by the Su family, and they were tricked? How could that be possible!

I simply cannot believe or accept it.

Luo Minzhi quickly shook his head: "Master, you can't say that. There's something fishy about this. We've been dealing with the Su family for many years, and this doesn't seem like their method. Putting everything else aside, if they could really set up such a scheme, wouldn't it be better to just take down the Imperial Merchant directly? What benefit could they possibly gain from setting us up like this?"

"Furthermore, Miss Su started planning to acquire the Imperial Merchant several years ago, while we only decided to do so this year. It's impossible for them to have made plans against the Wu family beforehand. Moreover, because of missing out on the Imperial Merchant, the Su family is now in chaos, and Su Tan'er is overwhelmed. This whole thing is a losing proposition for them. It's like killing eight hundred enemies while losing a thousand of your own. We're all business people; no one with a brain would do something like that."

Wu Chengyuan, the third son of the Wu family, chimed in, "Brother, Manager Luo is right. We only started thinking about becoming imperial merchants this year, while the Su family started several years ago. I don't believe they specifically set up this scheme and calculated that we would fall into it. Given our infiltration of the Su family, we couldn't possibly be unaware of such a large-scale operation. After obtaining the formula, we discussed it several times and only used it after we felt there were no problems."

"I don't think anyone in the Su family has the ability to orchestrate such a deep and flawless scheme. Su Tan'er can't, and even Su Yu, despite his cunning, wouldn't go to this extent..."

Wu Qilong sighed and said, "But... things have really come to this. Since we can't find the cause, let's talk about how to deal with it."

"Father spoke with Lord Dong today. It's not a problem to delay the delivery for a while. The trouble is that once we ask the Weaving Bureau for a delay, Lord Dong won't be able to suppress it anymore. There will definitely be an official document issued, and we won't be able to hide the fact that we have a problem. Who knows what will happen then? It's inevitable that they will kick us when we're down."

Wu Chenghou said, "These are all minor matters. The important thing is to solve the problem. Otherwise, even if we postpone it for a month or two, it won't make any difference."

"If the Su family has a real solution, we can give it a try... by spending money or giving up some other benefits, to get through this hurdle first."

Wu Chengke said, "What you say makes sense. If this wasn't a scheme set up by the Su family, it would be much easier to get the real formula from them than to try our luck ourselves."

Wu Chengyuan interjected, "But if this wasn't a scheme set up by the Su family, it's just a coincidence. On the contrary, it's our side that has a problem. If we rashly go there, wouldn't we become a laughing stock and be laughed at for trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead?"

Everyone fell silent for a moment. Although they had suspected that the Su family had stolen the formula, since it hadn't been confirmed, they pretended not to know and no one spoke out publicly.

If they were to seek the genuine formula from the Su family, the Su family would not conceal it from them. This would directly confirm that they had stolen the Su family's formula, inevitably ruining their reputation and making it difficult for them to hold their heads high for years.

This... is not an easy choice.

After a while, Wu Qilong said, "I've been following up on the matter of Suibu recently. I wonder how things are going with the Su family?"

“There’s been internal strife,” Wu Chengke said. “The Su family has been in a mess lately, especially after their failure to compete for the Imperial Merchant title. The second and third branches are practically in chaos. Su Tan’er is overwhelmed and can only try her best to maintain the original partners. The Xue family is also taking advantage of the situation to secretly erode their market share. Once the Su family weakens a bit more, even more people will be looking for an opportunity to rush in and grab market share.”

Wu Qilong frowned: "All families are like this. Their decline begins with internal strife, which allows outsiders to seize the opportunity to take over, leading to the complete downfall of the family. If our family falls into such a situation in the future, we will inevitably be coveted by others. Therefore, we must overcome the current crisis, otherwise the Su family's present will be our future."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Besides these, what about Su Tan'er? What about Su Boyong's former direct descendants? What about the entire Su family's main branch? What are they doing?"

“The entire main branch of the Su family…” Wu Chengyuan seemed to have thought of something, but found it unbelievable and hard to understand.

"The power of the Su family's eldest branch is now divided into two parts. One part is trying its best to maintain its current business, while the other part is the direct descendants, whose whereabouts are quite secretive, and they seem to be targeting our Wu family. But... that shouldn't be the case? What is there about our family that they would be targeting?"

Wu Qilong shook his head. "The Su family prepared for three years and invested hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in the imperial merchant project. Su Tan'er improved the looms under her command and developed new formulas. She has always been determined to win the imperial merchant project."

"After failing to become a royal merchant, we all thought she would give up, but she didn't. Instead, she spent this time frantically replacing old looms with new ones and building new weaving workshops,"

“People outside think she’s gone mad, caught in a dilemma, trying to increase production and dump goods at low prices… But what if that’s not the case… Father, uncles and elders, we all understand that if she dumps goods at low prices and ruins the market, we won’t be afraid. What we’re afraid of is that instead of dumping goods at low prices, she’s eyeing our Wu family’s market share, waiting for us to free up our share.”

Wu Chenghou sighed, his voice somewhat hoarse: "If that's the case, she's almost finished preparing by now."

"Now everyone in the market knows that the Su family is declining, and they are all watching the Su family and their crumbling markets, waiting to get a share of the pie. On the contrary, our Wu family has become very powerful since the battle with the Imperial Merchants. No one dares to look at our market, and they are even on guard against us expanding and encroaching on their market."

"If that day ever comes and our Wu family runs into trouble, all the cloth merchants in Jiangning will be eyeing the Su family's market. Before anyone else can react, the Su family will have devoured most of the market."

The expressions of everyone present changed drastically; it was hard to imagine what that scene would be like.

Wu Qilong chimed in, "Father is right. For the past month and a half since we took over the Imperial Merchants, we've been watching them make a fool of themselves, thinking the Su family is a defeated foe. Little did we know that Su Tan'er had already upgraded all the looms under her command, diverting everyone's attention and waiting to take a bite out of us. Yet we were still complacent, thinking that the Su family was in chaos and Su Tan'er had lost her composure."

Wu Chengyuan interjected, "There's no need to boost their morale. This is just the worst-case scenario. This scheme is too elaborate; we didn't sense it at all. I don't believe the Su family has this capability."

"Even if we consider the worst-case scenario, and this situation was orchestrated by the Su family, does that mean we are destined to lose? My elder brother has already made arrangements at the weaving bureau to postpone the delivery; he can always find a way."

"As for the Su family, they are in complete chaos right now. They are fighting tooth and nail over the position of Su Tan'er as the heir. The second and third branches are both strongly opposed to her taking over the Su family. They are even going to hold a clan meeting in a few days to re-elect a successor. This is the general trend, and even the old patriarch of the Su family can't stop it."

"In this situation, even if it was Su Tan'er who set up the scheme, how long can she hold out? Can she hold out as long as we can? At the Su family clan meeting in a few days, they might just strip her of her power. If those idiots from the second and third branches of the Su family were in power, would we still need to worry?"

"If we just drag this out, we can wear her down."

Wu Chengyuan's words made many people nod in agreement. They did not believe that the Wu family had fallen into the Su family's trap, and they did not want to bow down to the Su family. If they could stand up to the Su family, they would naturally do so.

Wu Qilong said with a wry smile, "Third Uncle, what you said makes sense. Whether they will test our patience or wait for us to fall down without making a move is still uncertain."

"These past two days, while I've been out and about, I've heard some rumors about our family business. They say there's been a mistake on our business license, and that there's a problem with our fabric. Although it's normal for rumors to circulate in the business world, it's a bit too fast that they suddenly appeared just a few days ago. We've kept it strictly confidential, and not a word about the fabric fading has leaked. It's obvious who's spreading these rumors. They won't waste time with us; they'll seize the opportunity and make their move."

Before anyone else could say anything more, Wu Qihao, who was sitting next to him, took out a piece of Xuan paper from his pocket and handed it to Wu Qilong, saying, "Brother, a few days ago you asked me to investigate Su Tan'er's movements. I used my inside contacts in the Su family and mobilized a lot of people to gather information. Finally, I found out Su Tan'er's general activities over the past month or two, and I've written them all down on this piece of paper."

"All of you uncles and elders can take a look. Before the battle for the imperial merchants, after Su Boyong was assassinated, Su Tan'er had already begun to make plans. After that, all the adjustments and expenditures of the main branch were basically aimed at our Wu family. It is no exaggeration to say that she was scheming."

"Think about it, just two months ago, when we were still discussing whether or not to use the Su family's formula, they had already laid a trap, set up their weapons, and were just waiting for us to fall into it."

"They've laid such a deep trap, and they didn't even ask for the imperial merchant's money. I don't believe they're just going to waste time with us without getting any benefit. They must have a deeper plan, wanting to gain even greater profits. To imagine that they're stupid enough not to make a move and just waste time with us is just wishful thinking."

The sheet of paper circulated in the hall, everyone's faces serious and silent, unable to believe that the Wu family had fallen into the trap set by the Su family. They were all veterans of the business world, business elites of this era, always full of confidence in business, and found it hard to believe that so many people would fall into the same trap.

However, looking at the plan Su Tan'er had made regarding the Wu family over the past two months on that piece of paper, I hadn't thought much of it before and hadn't bothered to pay attention. Even when I heard about it, I just smiled contemptuously, thinking that Su Tan'er was naive and reckless, and that after the failure of the imperial merchants, in order to save face, she was making aggressive moves against the Wu family's industries, making all sorts of radical plans and pointless adjustments, which were of no use except wasting money and depleting the Su family's resources.

Now, considering the situation of the Wu family, it's clear that those aggressive strategies and pointless adjustments are all aimed at them. If the Wu family were to encounter any trouble, the market would almost certainly be handed over to them.

If this is true, many people even feel a chill down their spines... and some even secretly doubt: "Could the Su family be that powerful?"

Wu Chengyuan said, waving the Xuan paper, "I don't think they have the ability to start scheming two months ago or even earlier, luring us into their trap. The whole thing was deliberate, and everyone could sense something was wrong. No one could set up such a scheme!"

"Everyone can see how difficult the process was and how many unexpected things happened. Take the dye formula for example. If it's too strictly controlled, we won't be able to get it. If it's too easily controlled, we won't believe it. To act to this extent, how many people would need to cooperate? Isn't that giving them too much credit?"

Wu Qilong sighed, "Third Uncle, I know this is hard to believe, but they've already made their move, and they might confront us soon. I hope my premonition is wrong!"

"Besides, everyone should not only focus on the Su family. Just because the Su family couldn't come up with this kind of scheme doesn't mean that no one else could."

Wu Chengke said, "You mean the son-in-law of the Su family, Ning Yi Ning Liheng!"