Film and Television World Life Record

Wu Qilong nodded: "With this person's talent and ability, it is indeed possible."

For a moment, everyone fell silent. They still held a certain reverence for this great talent who created two scripts, was destined to be remembered in history, and had a certain reputation in the literary world of Wu Kingdom.

But how can one give up until the sword is at their neck?

Chapter 612 Showdown

A few more days passed, and the Su family clan meeting was held as scheduled. If they had just confronted the Wu family a few days earlier, there would have been no clan meeting at all, and Su Tan'er's position would have been as secure as Mount Tai.

However, considering that the second and third wives might behave for a while, but will inevitably cause trouble in the future, I decided to go with the flow.

The two had already revealed their plan to Old Master Su; otherwise, given the current chaos in the Su family, Old Master Su would have been furious long ago and wouldn't be so calm now.

He also knew that if Su Tan'er was to take charge of the Su family, the conflict between the first, second, and third branches of the family had to be resolved to avoid future problems.

Let's take advantage of the clan meeting and resolve this all at once!

After a day of arguing, with the approval of Old Master Su, the second and third branches of the family split up, dividing their assets in two. A small portion of the assets they had developed and actually controlled would still be managed by the second and third branches; the other portion, which Old Master Su had previously entrusted to manage the Su family's assets, though managed by the second and third branches but under Old Master Su's name, was to be taken back and handed over to the future successors of the Su family.

Although the family division was successful, most of the assets under their control had to be handed over. The second and third wives were originally unwilling, but when they heard that Old Master Su wanted to hand them over to the future successor, they reluctantly agreed.

In their view, the eldest son's family only has Su Tan'er, and given her current situation, it's virtually impossible for her to take over the Su family in the future. The future successor of the Su family can only be chosen from the second and third sons' families. These assets have been handed over on the surface, but they might be able to get more back in the future.

Thus, this grand clan assembly concluded successfully in a manner that satisfied both sides.

The clan meeting had just ended when Su Tan'er began her actions against the Wu family; it was time to lay her cards on the table.

That day, Li Mu came out of the academy and strolled around the street when Wu Qilong suddenly appeared out of nowhere, cupped his hands and said, "Brother Ning, what a coincidence!"

Li Mu smiled. "Is it really such a coincidence?"

He seemed to be waiting there on purpose, without exposing his true intentions, and greeted them with a cupped hand: "Brother Wu!"

Wu Qilong said, "My family owns a teahouse nearby. How about I treat Brother Ning to a drink?"

Li Mu laughed and said, "Great!"

The two arrived at the teahouse and entered a quiet room on the second floor. Li Mu's internal strength was so profound that no movement within a few feet could escape his notice. Instantly, he noticed that there were five or six people sitting in the quiet room next door, not daring to make a sound, and they seemed quite nervous.

This is... someone from the Wu family, they want to hear my conversation with Wu Qilong!

Indeed, as time passed, the Wu family still couldn't find the reason for the cloth fading, and they grew increasingly anxious. Li Mu was usually calm and collected, and although he didn't interfere in the Su family's business operations, his identity allowed him to know some of the Su family's core business secrets. The Wu family was desperate and wanted to try and get some information out of him, whether it was useful or not, they might get some important news.

So Wu Qilong went to invite people, and several of the Wu family's top managers and leaders sat in a quiet room next door to analyze the conversation between the two.

The two men sat down, and the maid poured tea and left. Li Mu glanced at Wu Qilong, who had been trying to gather information, and smiled faintly: "Brother Wu, the cloth has faded!"

Wu Qilong's face stiffened, and he almost dropped the teacup in his hand. The nightmare had finally become reality, and his face was filled with astonishment.

In his mind, he was going to use words to trick Li Mu into revealing information in order to analyze the Su family's movements. He never expected Li Mu to just lay his cards on the table like that, so casually and calmly.

This shouldn't be happening. How could he so casually mention something so important?

Not only Wu Qilong, but also exclamations came from the quiet room next door, and there was even the sound of a teacup being overturned on the ground.

Wu Qilong disregarded all that and asked with a fierce look in his eyes, "Was it your Su family who did this?"

He was just thinking about how to probe the other person, how to glean some clues from their behavior, when the other person suddenly laid their cards on the table. Shouldn't it have happened in a formal setting, after careful consideration, in front of everyone?

Li Mu took a sip of tea and smiled faintly, "You look very angry. Shouldn't you have guessed that already?"

Wu Qilong muttered to himself, "It really was a trap you set, it really was... You said all this today because you think the time is ripe, the time to lay your cards on the table?"

Li Mu smiled and said, "Not yet! The Su family clan meeting is over, and we've freed up our resources. Do you think we'll keep dragging this out and give you a chance to turn things around?"

Wu Qilong stared intently at him: "You're the ones who spread the rumors."

Li Mu smiled and said, "That's right! Isn't that normal? This time, the information released is not specific. The handover time between you and the Weaving Bureau is approaching, and then we will have a complete showdown."

Wu Qilong asked, "Then what do you mean by this today?"

Li Mu said, "It's all about chance and a sudden whim; anything goes. You invited me for tea today because you wanted to know these things, so I'll tell you. It's also good that you knew earlier; it gave you some buffer time."

Wu Qilong composed himself and tried to calm down: "So, what is your purpose? What do you want?"

Li Mu shrugged and smiled, "Well, you should ask Tan'er. Just give her whatever she wants."

Wu Qilong almost laughed out of anger, suppressing his rage as he said, "Brother Ning, what a big mouth you have! How would I know what your wife wants?"

Li Mu smiled faintly: "It depends on your sincerity. All that you can offer is what the eldest branch of the Su family can afford."

"Brother Wu should know that the Su family has recently made arrangements in many places belonging to the Wu family, such as Luzhou, Shouzhou, Guangzhou, Hezhou, Xuanzhou..."

Li Mu counted them one by one on his fingers.

"The Wu family will have to give up all their market share in these areas. Also, I heard that the Wu family's formulas for several dyes are quite good, and Tan'er likes them quite a bit. And the Wu family's unique knitting technique is also quite good... That's all I can remember."

Before Li Mu could finish speaking, Wu Qilong stood up abruptly in anger: "Ning Yi, do you know what you're saying? You just open your mouth and want half of my Wu family."

Li Mu smiled faintly: "Brother Wu, don't be impatient. Actually, it's less than half. After all, it's the largest cloth shop in Jiangning. The Wu family has a strong foundation. The main branch managed by Tan'er alone can't eat half a piece. They'll probably be full after eating about a third of it."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Wu Qilong slammed his fist on the table in anger, gritting his teeth as he said, "You want to take a third of the Wu family? You're dreaming! Do you really think you can take over the Wu family over something as trivial as this? The Wu family has weathered many storms in its development; do you think we're afraid of you?"

"Regarding the cloth, we have already applied to the Weaving Bureau for an extension. You can spread rumors all you want, saying that our Wu family's cloth is fading. As long as we don't deliver, even though it will have some impact, what can you do to us?"

Li Mu smiled and said, "You don't know yet, do you? Manager Liao has already gone to the capital. Our Su family also has a business there. Manager Liao often travels between the two places and knows many big cloth merchants. He also has many connections. This time he took a lot of silver with him to prove that the Wu family is guilty of deceiving the emperor."

Wu Qilong was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Brother Ning, you are too naive. It's just that the cloth has faded. To put it bluntly, it's deceiving the emperor. But His Majesty has always been lenient over the years. Do you think he would confiscate your family and exterminate your clan for something like this? The crime of deceiving the emperor is not so easy to judge."

Li Mu smiled faintly, his expression solemn, and said, "But, Brother Wu, the situation is different now; we're going to have a war."

"The situation in the north is on the verge of erupting, and a major war is about to break out. Brother Wu, do you know what the most important thing in war is? Money! As the saying goes, 'An army marches on its stomach,' and war is a bottomless pit when it comes to spending money."

"When the time comes, if an army rises up, not only the emperor, the prime minister, and officials at all levels of the three provinces and six ministries will have to worry about military expenses. Even if the emperor is merciful and does not want to pursue the matter, what about those officials at all levels who are worried about military expenses? Your Wu family is so wealthy, confiscating their property and getting two or three million strings of cash should be no problem, right? That would solve part of the military expenses."

Looking at Wu Qilong, whose face was a little pale, Li Mu said, "Don't worry, isn't your Wu family trying to stall for time? Stall until the north mobilizes its troops, stall until the officials at all levels, who are worried about military expenses, set their sights on your Wu family, this piece of fat meat. Ready-made charges, ready-made reasons, how convenient. Once the officials at all levels reach a consensus, no official will exonerate you, your crimes will be quickly settled, your family will be confiscated and exterminated, there's no escaping it."

Li Mu's words made Wu Qilong break out in a cold sweat. Having worked in the business world for many years, he was not someone who was easily intimidated. Li Mu's words were reasonable, well-founded, and interconnected, which was terrifying.

Faced with the heinous crime of confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan, no one could remain indifferent, especially since war was truly imminent in the north, and war was a bottomless pit. If the Su family was truly willing to spend a large sum of money to pull strings, the Wu family, this lucrative target, would be exposed to officials at all levels who were struggling to pay for the military. He didn't know if the Wu family could get away with it, but the slightest carelessness would result in confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan.

No one dares to bet.

Not only Wu Qilong, but also heavy breathing could be heard from the quiet room next door, clearly indicating that they were also frightened. On one hand, there was the option of losing money to avoid disaster, and on the other hand, there was the possibility of having their property confiscated and their entire family wiped out. Who could remain calm in the face of such a situation?

Li Mu slowly sipped his tea, allowing Wu Qilong to process the shock of the news. After a moment, he continued, "As you know, the way your Wu family has acted over the years has offended not only our Su family, but many other families as well. You are doing well now that you are at your peak, but if you show signs of weakness or make mistakes, not only our Su family, but many others will not hesitate to kick you when you are down."

“If this drags on, the situation will no longer be under the control of the Su family. Even if we don’t make a scene in the capital, others will. They will be even more ruthless than us, and the fate of your Wu family will still be unavoidable.”

“This is a situation that our Su family would not want to see either. After all, once word gets out that we can easily occupy a market, we will inevitably have to compete with other companies. It would be much better if you just gave us the market directly, so as to avoid trouble.”

"Time might be a bit tight, so you don't need to prepare in too much detail. Just hand in what you can. As for what you can't finish, I'm sure Tan'er will know what to do..."

Wu Qilong shouted hoarsely, "So, you're saying our Wu family is going to let you slaughter us?"

Li Mu smiled and said, "You can also understand it that way. Things have already come to this point, do you have any other choice?"

Wu Qilong opened his mouth, and after a long while, he said slowly and deliberately, "Fine! One-third, first hand over the true formula for the Golden Brocade..."

Li Mu shook his head: "There is no real formula at all. Tan'er has been researching for three years and finally came up with a formula, only to find that it was just a faded color. She is heartbroken right now! You stole the formula again, and Tan'er's father was assassinated. We can only go with the flow and see who is behind this."

Wu Qilong said, "We did not send anyone to assassinate Uncle Su."

Li Mu smiled and said, "I don't care about that. I'll add one more condition: hand over the list of your traitors hidden in the Su family, especially the traitor who stole the secret formula."

Wu Qilong gritted his teeth and sneered, "Why should we agree to your request if there's no secret recipe?"

Li Mu said, "In order to protect the Wu family, while the news has not spread and only our two families know about it, and before the north has mobilized its troops, our Su family will work with your Wu family in the capital to make arrangements and resolve this matter before the troops are mobilized."

"As long as this matter is resolved before the war begins, and everything is handled cleanly from beginning to end, even if the court is short of money when the war starts, no one will be watching your family anymore."

Wu Qilong said, "We can manage things ourselves, why should we give you a third of our assets and ask for your help?"

Li Mu smiled and said, "How could you be so naive? Our two families are still in a state of hostility. Why do you think we would keep your secrets and not kick you when you're down?"

“As long as we release the news, you will be committing the heinous crime of deceiving the emperor. Countless people will take advantage of your misfortune and pounce on you. You cannot fight against a pack of wolves with your bare hands. Your end will be even more miserable.”

"To exchange one-third of your Wu family's assets for the lives of your entire family, and to preserve some of your assets, do you think it's not worth it?"

Wu Qilong took a deep breath, his body trembling slightly.

Li Mu said, "I want to emphasize a few points. Your Wu family is racing against death right now. Make a decision as soon as possible and don't delay any longer. If your Wu family keeps dragging its feet, the Su family will release the news when the time is right, and things will be out of our control. In that case, we'll leave it to fate. Also, we won't tell you what we want and then ask you to prepare it. So, try to get everything ready in one go. A peaceful handover will save us trouble, and you won't have to worry about it."

Wu Qilong said, "Therefore, our Wu family can only accept this, and we will also send the industries from various places to you so that you can choose which ones to choose."

Li Mu shrugged: "We don't have to do it this way. You can try your luck. Maybe the emperor will be merciful and not kill anyone! Or you can study the formula again. Tan'er spent years trying to solve a problem, but maybe you'll be lucky and solve it in a few days!"

Wu Qilong sat there dejectedly, his eyes filled with confusion and despair. Faced with the consequences of having his family's property confiscated and his clan exterminated, what else could he do but agree?

Chapter 613 Business

After leaving the teahouse, Li Mu continued to stroll along the street, enjoying the lively atmosphere of the city. Whenever he encountered a small food cart belonging to Zhu Ji, he would stop and ask for directions.

Although the food cart business is now insignificant in the whole of Zhu Ji, the best-selling item in Zhu Ji is the glass mirror. Small mirrors cost 300 coins each, medium ones cost 500 coins each, and large ones cost 800 coins each. There are also even larger half-length mirrors, which cost two, five, or ten coins each. They are cheaper, more exquisite, and clearer than bronze mirrors.

It became an instant hit as soon as it was launched, and thousands of mirrors were quickly snapped up.

According to Li Mu's estimate, as long as the production capacity can keep up, he can easily sell hundreds of thousands of taels of silver a year for mirrors alone.

Another popular product is soap, which was also extremely well received upon its launch and quickly sold out. Due to limitations in raw materials and production capacity, it has been in short supply.

Li Muding's price for the soap was relatively high, at three strings of cash per bar. After all, ordinary people couldn't afford to buy or use this kind of thing nowadays; it was used by wealthy merchants and powerful people. Three strings of cash wasn't expensive at all. They thought the price was reasonable for such a rare item, and even considered it a bargain.

If it were really sold for thirty coins a piece, these people would feel ashamed to use it!